Memories of the Past
by the elsinatr
Summary: Hyuuga Hinata is 22, and stuck in an abusive relationship with a very unlikely person. What is the secret behind his cold demeanor? Will Hinata make her way out of this alive? And if so, what will the future hold for this kunoichi? love/angst/mystery
1. Broken Memories

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto!

A/N: Sentences in italics are memories. This is my third fic. Enjoy!

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CHAPTER 1

BROKEN MEMORIES

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A fully grown Hyuuga was in an apartment, looking at a worn-out photo. She had a lavender hoodie on, and her sleek raven hair shone through the moonlight emitting out of her bedroom window. It had been years since that fateful day, the day she'd never be the same.

_5 yr old Hyuuga Hinata rubbed her small hands in anticipation. She couldn't wait! Her father had told her that some very special guests were coming over. _

_A maid helped the wriggling child into her blue kimono. "Hinata-sama, the evening won't move any faster if you keep on fidgeting." she scolded._

_Suddenly the door of the room opened and in stood a very beautiful lady. She looked cross. "Lina, leave the scolding to me." She went and picked up the little girl._

_"Oka-chan!" the little doll squealed._

_The older woman gently calmed her down. Taking her by the hand, she calmly led her down the stairs to the main entrance._

_There was a family waiting there, obviously greeted by the lord of the manor, Hyuuga Hiashi._

_Hinata immediately recognized him to be her father. However, she did not jump up and run to him. After all, there was visitors and she knew he wanted her to be on her best behavior._

_"Lady Hinata, my name is Uchiha Fugaku." addressed the tall, dark man with a cleft chin._

_The said girl only nodded. He went on, "Since the things we will be discussing won't be of much use to you, you can go play with my two sons here."_

_He pointed to the older one. "My oldest son is named Uchiha Itachi. And this one," he indicated with his head, "is Uchiha Sasuke."_

_The youngest of the family peered out from under his mother's kimono. "Hi." he answered shyly._

_The Hyuuga gave him a dazzling smile, causing his shyness to get the better of him._

_"Well, we better get down to business," spoke Hiashi after observing the small communication between the two children._

_The adults went to another room, leaving Itachi, Sasuke and Hinata in the room._

_"I-Itachi-san? W-would you like t-to play w-with us?" she suggested tentatively._

_"Hn."_

_The younger girl took that as a yes. She turned to the younger, who seemed to like to hide behind things. _

_"W-wh-what g-games do you l-like to play, Sasuke-san?"_

_"..."Sasuke._

_Itachi-san and Sasuke-san are peculiar, she thought._

_-------------------_

_"NO! I WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT ALLOW IT!" roared the Hyuuga warlord._

_"..." Uchiha Fugaku._

_"Dear...don't be so...ups-" began his wife, but Hiashi silenced her with a look._

_Hyuuga Hiashi looked at the Uchiha dead in the eye. _

_"I will not betray Konoha. If this village falls, who knows if we'll be able to fend from other enemies, and I KNOW that they'll attack once they see a weakness._

_"Do you want to take this risk?"_

_At first the Uchiha didn't speak. Then he stood up. "Has any one of your family been a candidate for Hokage, Hiashi-sama?"_

_"That isn't the poi-" but the sharingan user cut across him._

_"You want to know the point? The point is, is that the Senjus and Namikazes have been ruling this goddamned village for DECADES my friend. It is time for us to reclaim our power within the village."_

_As he was listening to the Uchiha leader, Hiashi felt nothing but hatred. He stood up too. "Is this what you call strength? You know nothing of Konoha's ways. The reason the Hokages probably don't choose us is because of our selfishness. And, after what I have heard, I can only assume that much!" The tone of his voice started reverberating out of the room._

_The man named Fugaku looked as if he regretted ever bringing the subject up._

_"If you won't back us up, I understand. But promise me you won't betray the Uchiha Force."_

_Hiashi knew that it was useless, that the Hokage would never believe him if he told them of Fugaku's plans. _

_"I give you my solemn vow..."_

_--------------------------_

_"4...3...2...1...Okay Itachi-san and Sasuke-san! Ready or not, h-here I come!!" she ran off trying to find them._

_Sasuke looked from his hiding spot. He was really good at this game. He decided to scare the Hyuuga girl silly._

_Itachi watched from a distance, standing on the ceiling. True, it did waste chakra, but he also wanted to make a statement._

_Meanwhile, Hinata was on the third floor, looking under cupboards and stairs for the two boys. Little did she know that the younger one was slowly approaching her._

_"KYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" the mini-Uchiha pounced on her. Together they landed in a heap._

_"S-sasuke-s-san?" she stuttered, words failing her._

_Hiashi watched all of this from a corner. He had forcibly ended his session with the Uchiha clan leader and was getting ready for dinner. _

_Coming out of the corner, he asked, "Having fun, Hina-hime?"_

_Sasuke and Hinata brushed themselves off. Hinata blushed. Sasuke, on the other hand, was a bit nervous around the Hyuuga leader._

_To appease himself, he bowed slowly. "I'm sorry to cause a d-disturba-" The Hyuuga lord waved a hand dismissively._

_"You two, go on downstairs and eat. I will be down there momentarily."_

_They didn't telling twice. Hiashi could hear their little footsteps pattering._

_"Kids these days..." muttered the warlord. Laughing to himself, he went down to his office, unaware of what was to come._

_----------------------_

_Suddenly, Sasuke realized that in their hurry to eat, they totally forgot about his brother._

_"Umm, Hina...chan?" he asked shyly, turning into a tomato. "Could w-we look f-for m-my b-b-brother." he faltered under her steady gaze._

_"Oh! O-of course!" _

_Hina-chan? Secretly she liked that nickname._

* * *

22 year old Hinata hugged the photo to her chest. The photo had a picture of a small Uchiha Sasuke and her in her blue kimono. She sighed.

"I looked so carefree then. If only things didn't have to be this way, if only i'd have been stronger, if only..." but she knew that it was useless.

She didn't have the power to turn back time and correct her mistakes.

Collapsing on the bed, she sobbed till her heart broke.

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_

"Hello, everyone. My name is Yuuhi Kurenai. I'm your new jounin sensei."

_None of the three students moved._

_"Well," evidently trying to dispel all awkwardness in the team, "How about we get to know each other?"_

_Looking at the students, she picked one. "You are an Aburame, aren't you? Well, why don't we start with you?"_

_She went on. "Just say something interesting about you, like what's your favorite color and so on."_

_The Aburame started. "My name... is Shino Aburame.....I like bugs." There was an eerie silence._

_Moving on, she asked the girl to introduce herself. _

_"M-m-my n-name i-is Hyuug-ga Hin-nata..."_

_Finally only one person was left. He seemed an energetic one. "MY NAME IS KIBA AND I THINK HINATA'S CUTE!......AND I HAVE A DOG NAMED AKAMARU WHO HAS A CRUSH ON HINATA-CHAN!" the dog gave an equally loud bark._

_Yuuhi Kurenai sweatdropped as she saw the boy run around with his dog, evidently unleashing newfound energy into the air._

_The shy Hyuuga was giggling. Even Shino smiled behind his coat._

* * *

She remembered her team. She remembered the sweet dog smell of Akamaru, how sweet Kiba was to her, and how Shino always helped her in awkward situations.

And it hurt.

She had to move on. She knew it was weakness, the feelings she was having right now, but it was useless.

As Neji-nii-san would put it, she was caught in the cruel hands of fate.

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_

"HELLO HINATA-CHAN!!!" mumbled Naruto very loudly.

_"H-hello." Hinata turned a violent shade of purple and began to sweat. Shino was muttering words of encouragement to her._

_"S-s-so," she continued. "Y-y-you c-came b-back fr-rom t-t-training?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_It was a week after Naruto had defeated Pein, and during this time, Hinata was very nervous._

_"L-l-listen, Naruto. I truly m-meant what I said to you during th-that battle with Pein-san. I love you."_

_Naruto smiled. "I know Hina-chan. I love you too."_

* * *

"HINATA! GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!!" shouted a loud and angry voice.

Hinata refused to budge or make a sound. She knew that it would mean certain death, but it was worth it.

"NOW! DON'T MAKE ME COME UP HERE, YOU WHORE!"

She closed her eyes, trying to numb the emotional pain she was feeling at that moment.

She couldn't believe that the once-kind Naruto could turn into this controlling monster.

She braced herself for the pain, as she heard him stomp up the stairs.

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"W-w-wait,t-this isn-t w-w-wise, Uchiha-s-sa---" she moaned. He gently suckled her skin, giving her goosebumps.

_"You know how long I've waited for you...longed for you...it's been too long."_

_She knew she was engaged to Naruto, yet she longed for Sasuke too._

* * *

"N-Narut-o...a-a-ano...s-s-stop h-hurting m-mme...." she moaned. The man named Naruto ignored her pleas.

He was forcing himself on her. Even though he was her husband, it was terrifying.

Ever since he heard rumors about Sasuke being in the village and having an affair with Hinata, he never was the same.

After a few hours, he left her there, broken, weak and bruised.

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"What-t's w-w-wrong N-Naruto-ku--" she gasped.

_Her lover was drenched in blood and smiling. "I-I killed him, Hinata."_

_She just stood there._

_"I killed Uchiha Sasuke. Now you'll be mine forever, Hina-chan. _

_"It's just you and me now."_

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WHADDYA THINK?? You know what to do now. Review!!


	2. A Fresh Start

Warning: Content that might shock you.

Standard Disclaimer

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**CHAPTER 2**

A FRESH START

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Groggily, the Hyuuga woke up to the shrill noise of birds vying for places to lay eggs. She stomped over to the window, and shut it tight.

Not realizing her husband was dressed and ready to leave for work.

"Hinata..." She knew it! He was going to apologize to her again. She mentally counted in her head for the oncoming sentence he was about to utter. 3....2.....1.....

"If there's any way I can make up to you for what I did last night, please let me know. I'm sorry. And I know that what I've done is wrong, and I can assure you that you have every right to divorce me."

'Whoa that's a new one...' she sneered in her head.

"...Hinata?..." she could tell Naruto was hesitating.

She turned to face him. 'God his stupid face is too cute...'

"I'm going to change." she walked out of the bedroom.

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"Sasuke, I-I have some n-news f-for you." Immediately, the Uchiha turned to face her.

_Hinata was wringing her hands, and she looked as though she was crying for days._

_Seeing her in this state, the Uchiha was concerned for her._

_The girl put her face in her hands. "F-Father says I-I have t-to g-g-get married t-t-to the H-H-Hokage..." She broke down as her face received more tears. It was a sad sight. Her face still had some dry caked-on tears._

_"Shh, it's okay. We'll get out of this together." Sasuke soothed and held her the whole night._

* * *

Hinata wore her usual dark v-neck shirt and black pants, along with her lavender hoodie. She grabbed her weapons pack as she headed out the door.

She had a new mission: to find out why the Uchiha clan went off the deep end.

Her first stop: she had some questions for the elders of the village.

Her walk broke into a run. ' If this is the only thing I can do for Sasuke, then I'll finish this and bring justice for them,' she thought.

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Koharu and Homura were busy enjoying an early breakfast before going to work. As soon as they started eating, an angry knock on the door startled them. Homura quickly got up and looked through the eyehole. It was Hinata, and she looked anything but happy.

The old man let her in.

Koharu inspected the girl. "Is anything wrong, dear?"

The latter took a deep breath and asked them, "I know something was going on about the Uchiha clan. I know that Itachi wouldn't so suddenly change his sanity and kill his whole family, and I know that Sasuke wouldn't have died if Itachi hadn't gone and done it, and I'm SURE THAT NARUTO WOULD NEVER HAVE ACTED LIKE THIS AND FINISHED THE UCHIHA CLAN FOR YOU! "

Homura and Koharu looked at each other.

Hinata was glaring daggers at them both. "IF YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED, I'LL BE FORCED TO BECOME A MISSING-NIN!"

"You wouldn't dare."

"Yes I would." Hinata was currently the medic-nin at Konoha's Hospital. Ever since Sakura went off to Sunagakure, she had learned everything about medicine, and surpassed her and the late Godaime Hokage. She was a valuable asset to the village. If they didn't answer her questions, she could make her threat come true.

She could easily survive outside of the village. Many other villages would be more than happy to welcome her.

Homura sighed, his tongue between his teeth. He never thought that the past would come back to haunt them.

But haunt it did, and it took in the form of Hyuuga Hinata.

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_Sasuke, Juugo, Karin and Suigetsu were heading towards Konoha at top speed. Sasuke was going faster than all of them, and for one reason. He needed to rescue Hinata from her upcoming marriage._

_Karin was getting angrier by the minute. "Honestly Sasuke, this is pure suicidal. Look, even the Hokage is watching us." She was right. Naruto's clones were spying in the trees and disappearing, apparently in an attempt to gather information to Naruto._

_Sasuke gave orders. "Punch the daylights out of every Naruto you see."_

_Suigetsu rolled his eyes. Juugo didn't say a thing. Karin, well she thought Sasuke was going crazy._

_Sasuke didn't care what they thought of him. His only goal was to see Hinata safe and sound, by his side._

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Koharu went to the kitchen to go and get some tea, secretly trying to communicate with Naruto to tell him that Hinata was in their home and threatening them.

Homura tried to distract her by telling her half of the truth.

He omitted the part where Itachi and Madara were together, but didn't tell her that even the Yondaime Hokage was in on it.

Pretty soon, Naruto came through the door. He quickly grabbed Hinata and left.

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_Hinata was in one of the rooms in the hideout. Sasuke managed to take her out of that dreadful village. Little did he know that Naruto was following him. Naruto learned how to mask his chakra, so Sasuke had no clue, because Karin didn't feel his chakra anywhere._

_Madara was in the other room, talking to Sasuke. Ever since Madara told the truth about the Uchiha coup d'etat and why Itachi killed the clan, Sasuke had felt nothing but hatred for the village._

_Sasuke was busy attending to his injuries. He didn't want to wake Hinata over such trivial matters._

_"What'll you do now to your village?" asked the former Uchiha leader._

_Sasuke didn't immediately respond. He slowly looked at him. "I'll avenge Itachi and kill the elders. Then I'll torch the place. Konoha will be destroyed."_

_Naruto heard all of this with his infiltration technique and quickly summoned Gamabunta to go and warn the village. Currently Shikamaru was acting Hokage until he came back. Naruto wondered how the lazy genius was doing. Trying to ignore the image of Shikamaru doing all his paperwork, Naruto concentrated on the task ahead._

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Hinata was sick of everything. She was sick of the village elders being filthy old hypocrites. She was sick of only being looked at as the wife of a Hokage.

She was especially sick of Uzumaki Naruto.

That night, she snuck out of the village, unnoticed by the population of Konoha.

As she ran out of the village, she thought of Sasuke. Tears welled up in her eyes.

'Don't worry, Sasuke. I'll avenge your death, even if it kills me.'

She thought of all the problems she had to endure in her life.

'If you were here, none of this would've happened.' she thought bitterly.

And with that, she ran out of the Land of Fire as fast as her legs would carry her.

After a few days, she found herself in Suna Country. She collapsed from exhaustion.

What she didn't notice was that a certain red-head with bloodlust in his eyes was standing behind her.

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**NOTE: **The truth is the truth that Uchiha Madara first told Uchiha Sasuke, in case you're wondering.

Whaddya think? IF YOU LIKE IT REVIEW THEN!

OR I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !


	3. Old Faces, Old Wounds

A/N:** The Tanuki's thoughts are in bold.** _Flashbacks and dreams are in italics._

Warning: NOT SUITABLE FOR PEOPLE WHO HATE VIOLENCE!

Standard Disclaimer

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**Chapter 3**

Old Faces, Old Wounds

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_"It's just you and me, bitch. C'mere," Naruto staggered slowly._

_Hinata was freaked out beyond belief. "Murderer." she whispered._

_She saw that Naruto's hand was clutching Sasuke's heart._

_It was still pumping out blood._

_"MURDERER!" she shrieked. She kept on screaming. Clutching her head, she vomited blood._

_She didn't care. _

_Suddenly, the world disappeared. Everything was black. Hinata could feel wind all around her._

_A small boy was clutching her arm. He had red hair and teal eyes. On his other hand he was holding a teddy bear._

_"Hurry, Hina-chan. Someone is coming!" he yelped frantically. "We have to run, hurry!"_

_Hinata didn't know what was going on. She looked at her surroundings. She was in the middle of a desert._

_In the dark, she could make out two teal eyes, identical to the child who was dragging her. Eyes that were full of bloodlust._

_The two terrified companions were running across the desert plain, away from the eyes._

_Out of the blue, a gigantic monster was in front of them. The boy was terrified._

_"G-g-go a-away. L-leave Hina-ch-chan alone!" he buried his face in Hinata's stomach. The monster laughed._

_"Go away, squirt. You don't scare me. Hinata will be mine."_

_In the middle of the monster's forehead, was a boy. He looked exactly like the little one, only he had a kanji on his forehead which spelled "Love". _

_He was older than the child, about ten or fifteen years of an age difference._

_He summoned sand and envelopped Hinata in it. In his other hand, he crushed the little boy._

_Blood falling down like rain, dripped on Hinata as she screamed till her lungs burst._

_The man brought Hinata to his height, and looked into her eyes. She felt like an animal being cornered by her prey._

_"You're mine." he said, in a deep voice full of longing._

"ARGHH!" Hinata woke up, sweating profusely from her nightmare.

'Where am I?' was her first reaction. She looked around. It looked as though she was in a hospital of sorts.

"Good to see that you're awake." said a voice.

She whipped around. It sounded exactly like that of her dream.

Standing in front of her was Sabaku No Gaara.

"G-get away from m-me!"

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you." He approached her curiously. "You were moaning and shrieking in your sleep."

Hinata buried her face in her hands

He went on. "You said something along the lines of "murderer". Who murdered who?"

She didn't say anything. She refused to talk.

"Tell me." he growled dangerously.

"NO!" she screamed and ran out of the hospital ward.

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LOOK I KNOW IT'S SUCH A SHORT CHAPTER BUT BEAR WITH ME FOR THIS ONE! I NEED TO PUT MY HEAD BACK ON!

(head wobbles dangerously)

READ AND REVIEW, FOLKS!


	4. Life in Suna

Warning: Violence and unwanted messages in this chapter. ^_^

Standard Disclaimer

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**Chapter 4**

Life in Suna

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The Next Morning:

Hinata found herself in the hospital yet again. Seeing new wounds, she wondered what happened last night.

_Hinata screamed as she ran out of the hospital doors, Gaara running after her._

_She was suddenly stopped as she found herself face-to-face with the Hokage._

_"WHAT'RE YOU DOING, HINATA?" he shouted, pinning her to a lamppost._

_He took out kunai. "You know what? It was a mistake to leave you alive. I should've finished you a long time ago." he pressed the hilt of the kunai to her neck._

_She started sobbing. "N-N-naruto, I f-f-feel as th-though I don't kn-know you anym-more..." She looked at his eyes, and saw that they turned feline-like._

_"W-where's the N-N-naruto I f-fell in love w-with in the A-A-academy?" she was testing him ._

_'Oh Kami,' she thought. 'If he should end the pain, let it be tonight.'_

_She braced herself for the oncoming wave of pain._

_As she was waiting for the impact, she heard a low voice speak._

_"Leave her alone, Uzumaki." 'Gaara?' she wondered. She was beginning to lose consciousness. _

_Before she faded away, she heard Gaara speak again. "You'll never lay a hand on Hinata, here in Suna. Not while I am Kazekage. I'll see to that."_

_She fainted._

_

* * *

_

"Hello again.." she turned around. Gaara looked at her, arms crossed as usual.

She bunched up the covers on her bed. Seeing this, Gaara reassured her. "Don't worry. I won't ask you about it."

She was relieved.

Looking at her, he added in an undertone, "I can already guess, judging by last night."

Shamed beyond belief, Hinata hung her head. Gaara sat on her bed.

"I didn't know." he whispered. "If I'd known, I'd get you out of that place."

Hinata looked at him strangely, heart pounding in her chest. She suddenly remembered her first encounter with the one-tailed beast container.

_Hearing a rustling noise behind her, Hinata turned around._

_"H-Hello?" Silence._

_She knew it was a mistake to train without anyone with her. Yet here she was, training till her knuckles ached._

_Turning back to the post, she began her steady punching._

_"What are you doing?" Gasping, she stumbled backwards in shock._

_In front of her was Sabaku no Gaara, the feared one-tailed beast._

_He had just arrived from Suna, and was taking the Chuunin Exam, just like her._

_"I said, what are you doing?" he took a step forward._

_Hinata knew that running away was useless. She waited for the sand to kill her, but none came._

_"You're weird. Can you talk?"_

_"G-g-gomen." she was terrified._

_**"I think we should kill her."**__ Hinata heard a demon voice talking._

_"Shut up, mother."_

_She looked up at Gaara. 'Is it the demon inside him?'_

_It seemed as if the boy was fighting an inner battle._

_She backed away, fearful._

_"No. Come back." he pleaded._

_It reminded her of a small child, needy of attention. His words softened her heart. She walked towards him._

_**"DAMN IT, GAARA! I SMELL HER BLOOD!" **__the raccoon dog howled with pain._

_"I SAID, SHUT UP!" he wailed, slamming his fists into a nearby tree._

_Hinata rolled away, ducking from the impact as the tree fell on the spot she had momentarily been in._

_"G-g-gaara."_

_The boy looked up. He was holding his head so hard, it was as if he was tearing it off._

_"D-d-don't come near right now. I'm not in CONTROL!" he roared the last word._

_Ignoring this, Hinata continued to come near him._

_"I SAID GO AWAY!" he cried, falling down on his knees._

_He felt a soft hand touch his cheek. Immediately, the pain went away._

_What did she do to him?_

* * *

"WHY? Why did you not run away from that...house?" Gaara got up and was pacing back and forth, arms gesturing angrily.

Hinata chose not to speak.

"Why Hinata?" he stared at her, letting his arms fall to his side. "You should've rejected him. You should've stayed true to yourself."

Hinata let silent tears fall to her face.

Seeing her like this, Gaara slowly made his way back to the hospital bed.

Catching her tears, he spoke again.

"You deserve better than this."

Heart fluttering in her chest, she gazed up at him.

* * *

_"W-wh-what is your name?" he asked. Hinata was sitting on the forest ground. She had placed Gaara's head on her lap and was gently stroking his hair._

_Blushing, she said, "Hinata."_

_Gaara sat up and asked her another question. "Why did you not run away?"_

_Looking deep into his eyes, she said in a matter of fact way, "Because your heart was in pieces, just like mine. I wanted to pick them up again."_

* * *

"Eat." commanded Gaara. Hinata stared at him, then at her food. In truth, she wasn't that hungry.

Gaara sat near the foot of her bed. Glaring at her, he said, "I'm not leaving until you eat."

Pouting, Hinata picked up her spoon. "I'm a big girl. I'm not the little, frail girl you met at the training grounds."

"Right now you are." he smirked.

Avoiding his gaze, Hinata started to eat. Pretty soon, she finished the entire bowl.

Seeing Gaara's non-existant raised eyebrow, she asked, "Do you want me to do laps now or what?"

Ignoring the last comment, he said, "You finished your food faster than I thought."

He turned around. Hinata was relieved. She thought he was going to annoy her some more.

She spoke too soon.

"HIYA, HINATA!!!!!!!" shouted and shrieked a furiously red-faced woman, followed by a disgruntled man, who was muttering, "Troublesome".

"T-T-temari??" she yelped.

"THE ONE AND ONLY! OOH I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU SINCE AGES!" Temari crushed Hinata.

"T-t-em-MA-RI!!!" Hinata yelled in her ear. Temari stepped back as though she was electrocuted.

"What?" the blond girl's face immediately turned into a frown.

"You were crushing me." the Hyuuga stated matter-of-factly.

"Gomen." Temari looked sheepishly down at her. Shikamaru pushed Temari out of the way.

Hinata gasped. He was taller than she remembered.

"What about my hug, Hinata-chan?"

Hugging her friend, she saw that he had a strange marking on his back.

Dismissing it, she asked,"You guys are suna nins now, aren't you?".

Shikamaru smirked. "Well, Temari and I are married, aren't we? I don't think Suna wanted Temari to get out of their borders."

"That's kinda ironic, considering I'm the ambassador to Konoha, aren't I?" she counterattacked the last remark.

Hinata got up, startling them both. "I'm allowed to walk, am I?"

"Uh..yeah. HEY I HAVE AN IDEA!" she shouted the last part. Shikamaru had to cover his ears.

Shikamaru backed away. "Oh no. I'm not going shopping with you guys. I think I'll tend to the kids."

"WH-WHAT?"

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Didn't we tell you?" he blushed.

Temari smacked him on the back of the head. Turning her attention back to Hinata, she explained.

"We have three kids now. The oldest is a girl, she's four and her name is Tsuki. The younger one is a boy, he's two and his name is Kurodu." At this point, Temari looked at her husband expectantly.

"And the last one, well why don't you take a look. He's been here the whole time." Shikamaru picked up a little girl off the ground.

Hinata leaped back in shock. The boy was beautiful. He had raven-black hair and chubby cheeks.

But that wasn't what was bothering Hinata.

'The kid has Hyuuga eyes!' she thought frantically.

"What have you done, Shika?"

Temari quietly explained. "We adopted."

"From who?"

"Your aunt." Hinata fell to her knees. She knew that her aunt couldn't take care of her kids, but she didn't know that this would actually happen.

Temari took Hinata's arm gently. "Do you want to hold her?"

Hinata looked into the pearly-white eyes, her heart warming. " I do."

* * *

"_I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat mother-..._" Kankuro was turning on the speakers, blowing the speakers to full volume. He started dancing erotically and weirdly.

Leaving the room, he saw the first girl who just happened to pass by his room. Grabbing her by the waist, he slowly pulled her in, ignoring her faint pleas for help.

Three floors down, Gaara was busy working at his desk.

Every now and then, he would glare at the ceiling. Even though Kankuro's room was three floors up, he could hear the abysmal music as though it was blaring in his ears.

"THAT'S IT!" Gaara stood up and grabbed his sand gourd.

He had to deal with Kankuro sooner or later.

* * *

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!" shouted Hinata. She was dancing around the hospital ward.

Her doctor just came in and announced that she was finally able to go.

Temari and Shikamaru waited outside patiently. They gave their son to Temari's grandma as they allowed the Hyuuga some minutes in peace.

As soon as Hinata finished dressing, she burst out of the room.

"Okay, Hinata let's go shopping!" Temari yelled happily, and she grabbed both Hinata and Shikamaru by the arms.

* * *

"Ga-g-gaara!" greeted Kankuro in a falsely cheery voice.

The said person rubbed his temples angrily. "What did I TELL you about harassing the maids?"

The puppeteer pouted. "Aw, come on, party pooper. I'll save you leftovers."

Gaara opened his gourd menacingly, causing Kankuro to yelp in fright.

"Th-thank you, Ka-Kazekaga-sama." the maid, who was freaked out by Kankuro, had heart-shaped eyes and was a bit too close for Gaara's liking.

"Get out!" he roared. The servant girl jumped with fright, and she ran out the door.

"Now, Kankuro." he said, in a falsely cheery voice, a voice he commonly used before the kill. "What did I tell you about the music?"

"B-b-b-"

"And about stealing ladies' laundry?"

"B-b-b-"

"And WHY" he saw an orange book lying at his feet. "WHY ARE YOU READING ICHA ICHA BOOKS?!?!?"

Gaara flung the perverted book like a shuriken, where it hit a cowering Kankuro by the nose.

Suddenly the door opened with a bang. Shikamaru, Temari and Hinata burst in, all cheery and happy.

"O-oh." Hinata turned red.

Gaara was standing on top of Kankuro, who was hiding under a green blanket. He looked like a turtle.

Silence reigned supreme.

"So..." Temari said, in an evident way to break up the ice. "Hinata and I are going shopping, just so you know."

"NO!" Gaara shouted. He was red in the face.

"Why?"

"You're low on the rent. Use my money instead."

"I couldn't possibly..."

"TAKE IT." he growled.

Knowing that this was a good time to retreat, she threw Kankuro out of his room and started to drag Hinata and Shikamaru down the stairs.

* * *

Shikamaru bade them goodnight after picking up the little Hyuuga from their grandmother's. He was on Dad duty until nine.

Temari was clutching on Hinata's arm and pointing to all the new boutiques in Suna.

"G-gomen, Temari-chan, but I do need a new outfit." stated Hinata.

Temari looked at her old clothes. They were tattered and ripped in several places. She smacked herself on the forehead.

"Ugh. Sumimasen, Hinata. I'm just all over the place, what with diapers and snack food..."

Hinata put a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "Don't worry. This is a special girls' night out. You don't need to remember trivial things."

Grabbing Hinata's hand, Temari ran to the nearest kimono store.

* * *

"It is time." A man with a scar across the left side of his face looked into a crystal ball. He slowly released his jutsu and walked out of the tree, where he was hiding.

The shadowy figure lurking in the shadows signaled to his comrades.

Together, they headed towards their final destination: Sunagakure.

* * *

Ok, phew. See I didn't disappoint you guys. I told you I would finish it in less than 24 hours!

READ AND REVIEW PLEASE


	5. Shopping Trips and Sticky Situations

A/N: PEOPLE CHECK OUT MY PROFILE PLEASE, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW UPDATE DATES!

Standard Disclaimer

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* * *

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CHAPTER 5

Shopping Trips and Sticky Situations

* * *

Hinata was dragging Temari to the new store called "Kimonos, etc."

"Ooh. Nice choice, Hinata! I can't wait to see what they have."

In front of them was kimono bonanza itself! They practically ran in.

Hinata immediately grabbed a blue kimono with flower designs on it.

"I LOVE IT!" gushed Temari. "Hinata, I bet you look good in kimonos!"

Hinata did her trademark blush. "I-I think I'll go and try it on..." she trailed off.

Taking a seat in one of the chairs, Temari waited patiently. Finally Hinata came out, modeling for Temari.

"AW HINATA! SO KAWAII!" Temari gave her friend a bone-crushing hug. "LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR RIGHT NOW!"

"Um, Temari, I'm not that kawaii..."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, LADY??? LOOK!"

Temari was right. Hinata sighed sadly.

"What's wrong, Hinata?" Temari sensed some sadness emanating from the pearl-eyed girl.

"I-I don't w-want to talk about i-it..."

"Oh, bull. I know you do." Temari waited for the Hyuuga to speak.

"Temari-chan, am I really pretty?" she asked after a few minutes.

"Oh of course, Hinata! I bet you were a regular beauty in Konoha!"

Hinata looked down at her feet. "If I was such a beauty, then how come Naruto hated me??"

Temari didn't know what to say. "What EXACTLY did Naruto do, Hinata? Answer me now."

"Temari-chan, we can't discuss this in a department store! After all, he's the Hokage!" Hinata stood up.

"OH, BULL, HINATA! MY BROTHER'S THE KAZEKAGE!" she roared. The other girl flinched.

Hinata had some tears in her eyes. Temari felt guilty. "Hinata, sumimasen! We'll talk about this when we get home."

_Home???_ thought Hinata. Her expression softened. _Of course. This place is more of a home than Konoha._

"Temari-chan? I'm gonna go back and change."

"Sure, Hinata." she smiled happily. It was truly amazing how Temari could change her moods at will.

Hinata went to her stall, only to find that her clothes were stolen.

* * *

Gaara was pacing in his office, thinking of the situation Hinata was going through.

"Damn it, I thought she was smarter than that!" (yes this Gaara talks to himself!) He clutched his desk for support.

He could feel his demon slowly eating his new seal. "Kami, what THE **HELL!**" Gaara's voice changed.

Kankuro just happened to get out of the punishment Gaara had set up for him when he heard scuffling in the Kage's office.

"What the-" he ducked as a chair burst out of the room, landing a couple of feet in the hallway. Kankuro knew that, if there was a wall next to him, it would've gone through it too.

Bursting into the office, Kankuro saw Gaara was out of control.

"OH DAMN! HANG ON, GAARA!" Kankuro took out the seal he had been perfecting.

* * *

"TEMARI-CHAN!" Hinata was sobbing.

Temari was shocked. Hinata looked disheveled. "What's wrong, Hinata?"

"S-s-someone s-stole my c-clothes..." she trailed off tearfully.

_Perverts. Who knew there were so many in Suna?_ she thought sarcastically. "Don't worry, Hinata. We'll just tell the clerk about our dilemma."

Hinata nodded, her face caked with tears.

* * *

"WHAT? WHAT DID YOU DO NOW, HIASHI-SAMA?" Neji had just gotten back from an A-ranked mission with his ANBU team.

Ever since he heard that Hiashi-sama had gone off and married Hinata to Naruto, Neji was literally out of his mind.

"You better calm down, Neji or I will have to force you out of the house." Hiashi said, bored.

"I THOUGHT YOU KNEW BETTER!" Neji instantly felt the Caged Bird seal. Moaning in pain, he sank to the floor.

"SO YOU WANTED HINATA TO YOURSELF, IS THAT IT???" Hiashi said incredulously. He let Neji go, thinking about the present situation.

Sighing in relief, Neji knelt down once again.

"That's a thought, Neji. Since I don't want Hinata to be abused by that fox of a Hokage any longer. I think I'll marry her to you."

_OH NO! This will devastate Hinata forever! I don't think of her that way, do I?..._ Neji thought back to all those times where Hinata made his heart race.

"Do you accept, Neji?"

_I can do this,_ he peptalked himself into it.

"Yes."

* * *

"Hello? We have a slight problem. My friend, Hinata here, has a spot of trouble. Someone stole her clothes from the girls dressing room." Temari flashed the male clerk a dazzling smile. The man was dazed.

"Wha-"

He suddenly realized that there was another girl with her. And not just any girl. This girl was extremely pretty, with long, overflowing dark hair that went all the way down to her waist. And her eyes were incredible. Her body proportions were all perfect. _Plus,_ thought the clerk with a snicker. _Even her chest is perfect size!_

He smiled at the Hyuuga girl. "Why didn't you say so! I'll help you!"

Hinata smiled distantly. There was something different about the man. He had some familiar aura about him that the heiress didn't like.

Temari spoke up. "I think what we mean is that could we just pay for the kimono she's wearing right now? She has nothing else to wear at the moment."

Hinata blushed. She poked Temari in the ribs.

"WHAT? It's true."

Turning to the clerk, Temari gave him puppy dog eyes. "Pretty please?"

"Oh, all right. It's ten seventy five, right?"

"Yes." Temari rummaged through her purse and took out a wad of bills. "Here ya go."

As they left, Hinata saw that the clerk was already closing the shop.

"Temari?"

"Heh? What's botherin' you?"

"When was that shop supposed to close?"

"Oh, around six-" Temari stopped and looked at her watch. It was eight o'clock.

Just like Hinata, she realized their mistake.

"RUN HINATA!" Temari yelled. Hinata didn't need telling twice.

Suddenly, ninjas with face masks blocked their way.

"Yer comin' wit us, missy!" sneered one of them.

_Oh no, oh no._ Hinata turned around and grabbed Temari by the arm. They ran in the other direction.

Temari was cursing under her breath. _Oh why didn't I bring my fan!_

They ran to the right, in an alleyway. Temari recognized the place.

"OH GOOD! Hinata, if we can climb up the fence, we'll be safe."

"Are you sure?" Hinata was panting.

"TRUST ME!" Temari wall-ran the fence. Hinata followed.

Her kimono got caught in the wire. Looking back, Hinata saw ninjas coming towards them in all directions.

"HINATA! NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO WORRY ABOUT HOW YOU LOOK!"

"I'm NOT TEMARI! HELP ME OUT!" Hinata was panicking. Tugging at the fabric, it fell off of her body.

_Oh Kami. This isn't good. _Hinata was stark naked, except for her underwear.

* * *

Kankuro quickly performed the hand signs to the seal. He ducked as Gaara's mahogany desk was thrown at him, and flew out of the window.

He slammed his fist into Gaara's stomach. The seal was placed on him.

"**AAAAAAAAAARR**RRRRRGGGGGHHHHH........." Gaara moaned and fell down on the floor. Kankuro looked at the chakra channel that he made for Gaara's sixteenth birthday. He looked at Temari's chakra level. _OH KAMI!_

"GAARA! HURRY UP!" Kankuro shook him violently.

The Kazekage Gaara was back. "What's wrong, Kankuro?"

"I don't know, but Temari's emanating too much chakra right now..." Rushing past his brother, Gaara sprinted down the marble stairs, ten at a time.(LOL)

* * *

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU FOOLS! STOP THEM!" shouted a ninja from the ground.

Temari had taken a random cardboard from the street and was using her chakra to fly them away from the scene.

Hinata was thankful that the cardboard covered her from those ninjas.

Before they left, she managed to see their headbands. Her mouth flew open.

They were cloud ninjas.

* * *

A/N: Read and Review! AND FLAME TOO I DON"T CARE JUST PUSH THE BOX OR ELSE...


	6. Sweet Invasions of Privacy

**A/N: Mature content, kiddies!**_** Flashbacks and thoughts are in italics.**_

Standard Disclaimer

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* * *

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**Chapter 6**

Sweet Invasions of Privacy

* * *

Hinata was shaking uncontrollably.

Inside, she was dying. _CLOUD NINJAS! This is all my fault._

Temari noticed that her friend was trembling. "Don't worry, Hinata. Look we're on top of the tower now."

* * *

"Kankuro, come with me!"

Gaara did a few handsigns and an eye made out of sand appeared. He looked through it everywhere in the village. Still no sign of them.

Kankuro followed his brother to the seventh floor of the building. He saw him doing his jutsu.

"Gaara! Think! Temari's with her. Where would she be if she wanted to get to safety? Temari uses wind, remember!"

_Brilliant, Kankuro!_ Gaara sprinted to the top of the tower, forgetting that there was a shortcut.

"What're you doing now?" yelled Kankuro. He opened the emergency exit, jumped up the railing and onto the top of the tower. He looked around.

Temari was with Hinata, and the petite girl looked like she was going to hurl. The pervert in Kankuro saw that Hinata was only in her underwear.

He dismissed it. This situation was different and more serious.

"Temari, is she okay?" he asked. The smaller girl's face looked ashen.

Temari nodded, lips forming into a tight smile, devoid of emotion. "Cloud Ninjas were after us."

"WHAT?" _This is bad. What would Cloud want with Sand?_

"Yeah. I think Hinata needs to tell us the whole story, if she wants to stay with us." Her reply was grim.

Gaara came up, a few minutes later.

"Hinata!" He rushed up to her and took her from Temari. He began to walk down the steps, Temari and Kankuro behind them.

The fan mistress was angry. "GAARA! What're you doing?"

"Taking her to her room. She needs to rest."

"You could at least tell us what you're doing first, and then do it."

Gaara said nothing.

* * *

Neji was packing for his ANBU mission when Hanabi came into his room.

"Hey nii-chan. Where are you going now?" she asked sweetly.

"Nowhere." he took out some shirts and pants.

"If you were going nowhere, you wouldn't pack." she continued, watching the pile of clothes get bigger.

Neji said nothing. Ignoring him, she added, "You pack like a girl, Neji."

Suddenly Neji couldn't take it anymore. Pinning Hanabi to the wall, he growled, "What are you insinuating now, Hanabi?"

"NOTHING!" _He acts like a girl with PMS._ she thought bitterly. Neji promptly let go of her.

Massaging her neck, she added, "Oh, and otou-san says to not report back to Tsunade-sama when you get back."

"Hn." _What is Hiashi-sama thinking?_

"Later." Hanabi swaggered out the door, accidentally knocking down a male servant.

* * *

"Unh." Hinata stirred. She looked around the room. "Well, this is certainly a change from being in a hospital." she said out loud.

"Good morning." said a deep male voice. Hinata squeaked and pulled over the covers, hiding her whole self from view.

"Relax. It's just me." he said.

"Gaara-san?"

"No, it's his half-wit brother." Hinata giggled, and kicked the covers off her. She slowly walked over to the Kazekage.

"Who would've thought that Sabaku no Gaara could crack a joke." she teased.

Much to her surprise, Gaara was turning red.

"What's wrong, Gaara-san?" she asked.

"Um, uh...um...H-" he couldn't say anything.

Suddenly, the doors burst and in came Kankuro.

"HINATA!!!!!!" he yelled. He ran like the wind, but stopped, realizing the position Hinata was in.

"Kankuro-san? What's wrong?" she asked. Kankuro was also blushing and turning red.

Dead silence entered the room.

Finally, Kankuro plucked up the courage to say something.

"Hinata, c-could you please stop seducing people?"

"W-WHAT?!?!?" Hinata could feel her eyes bulge out of her head.

Kankuro started laughing and writhing on the floor.

Gaara put his face in his hands.

And Hinata realized the events of last night. She was still naked! (well in her eyes, yes, but we all know she's just wearing underwear.)

She squealed and ran to her bed, this time disappearing into a clump.

* * *

The Hyuuga prodigy walked through the Hokage's office. He was dressed in his ANBU uniform, and wore a falcon mask.

Naruto sat up as soon as he walked in. To Neji, he looked exactly like the late Tsunade-hime when she had a hangover. The Rokudaime had dark shadows in his eyes and was looking leaner than Neji had ever seen him like before.

"Ah, Neji. Just the person I need." he rummaged through her papers, looking for documents.

Finally he found an envelope and opened it. He read his mission out for him.

Neji's eyes were wide open.

This was unlike any mission he had been on before. This time, it was personal.

_Oh, Hinata, what have you gotten into now?_ he shook his head in disbelief.

"Are you respectfully declining?" Naruto looked at him skeptically.

"No, Rokudaime-sama."

"Very well. You may head out now."

Neji bowed and went out of the office. Determination coursed through his veins.

* * *

"Hinata?" Temari said, poking her head into Hinata's room. "I have some clothes for you."

"G-gomen, Temari-chan..." Hinata said, her head appearing quite quickly out of the covers. Temari stifled a giggle.

_Hinata's so cute, yet she doesn't even realize it..._ Temari desperately tried to keep a straight face as she entered the bedroom.

"So, Kankuro told me what happened. He and Gaara are still reeling from the effects." she stated teasingly. Hinata was turning redder by the minute.

The smaller girl tried to make an excuse, but was quickly stopped by the wind mistress.

"Don't worry. I've done that too, myself. Plus, you weren't feeling well. It's okay." she said, smiling down at the petite woman.

Hinata looked at the duvet. "I don't know how I could bear to look them in the eyes for the rest of my life." she mumbled.

Temari couldn't control it any longer. She started laughing. "Oh Hinata!" she exclaimed. "I'm their sister and that happened to me once."

Upon hearing this, Hinata too started giggling. After a few minutes, they stopped.

"Um, Temari-chan, I'm going to change now." Hinata said uneasily. Temari nodded and left the room.

On top of the bed lay the blue kimono she bought yesterday. _Hmm, I wonder why Temari-chan wanted me to wear this. Is there a special occasion of sorts?_

_Oh well. I really like this kimono anyway._ Hinata started to put it on.

* * *

"GAARA! WILL YOU BEHAVE YOURSELF!" scolded Temari.

Gaara continued to brood. "What for?"

"Look, kiddo. Hinata is coming to dinner with us."

"I know you want to know what happened to her."

"Well yeah. So what? We can't just let her live in the Tower."

"We can too."

"Not."

"Yes."

"NO!"

"YES!"

"N-"

"GUYS! WILL YOU TURN IT DOWN A BIT!" yelled Kankuro, using his arms to separate the two. The two siblings were glaring daggers at each other.

Finally, Temari spoke. "Gaara, just try and be a gentleman."

"Whatever."

Temari sighed. It was apparent that tonight was gonna be a very long one for her.

She dragged the two boys out of the room.

* * *

Hinata looked at herself in the mirror. She was startled. At first glance, she thought she saw her mother in the mirror.

_"Kaa-chan, do I look pretty?" said a four year old Hinata._

_Her mother sighed. "Yes, dear you do. But it's not the prettiness that counts."_

_"Why?"_

_"It's the heart that counts."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because if you understand someone, they will understand you."_

_"Why?"_

_"HINATA!" her mother said, exasperated. Hinata looked as though she was about to cry. Seeing this, her mother regretted her sudden impatientness. She scooped Hinata in her arms and started tickling her._

_"Kaa-chan-n. That tickles!" Hinata giggled._

_Her mother planted a kiss on her nose. "I love you, Hina-chan, my precious tenshi-baby."_

Trying to brush away the tears in her eyes, Hinata looked in the mirror again. "It's only me, plain old me." she said sadly.

Gaara was standing outside her door, thinking. He would never understand Hinata. It was as if the little things in life either pleased her or hurt her. She was a mystery in itself. He didn't understand how he felt about her. She made him very confused. Looking at her, he gasped. She was wearing a blue patterned kimono with a purple sash. It looked stunning on her.

"You're anything but plain old, Hinata-chan."

She turned around. It was the Kazekage, once again. He was wearing a reddish brown tux, and his hair was as messy as ever. It looked like Temari tried valiantly to comb it, but failed in the process. He looked at her with awe, with....wait a sec. _Loving eyes?_

Hinata blushed. Gaara never looked at anyone like that. He always kept to himself, living in his own bubble for most of his life. Then Uzumaki Naruto changed all that and made him face his family.

And now, here he was, looking at Hyuuga Hinata in awe and admiration. She turned around to look at herself in the mirror. Unfortunately, she could still see Gaara in the mirror.

"Do you th-think it's only the prettiness that counts, Kazekage-sama?"

_Kazekage-sama? Where did that come from? _He looked at the reflection on the mirror that was Hinata.

"Well, yes..." he started. He saw tears coming out of Hinata's eyes.

The man walked towards Hinata. Taking her by the shoulders, Gaara wiped the tears from her eyes, causing the poor girl to blush.

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "I think you are more than beautiful. You are a goddess."

This remark caused Hinata's heart to pound in her chest. _What am I doing? I thought I loved...who was it again?_ She didn't even remember the name of Naruto as she stared at Gaara's pale teal eyes.

_What's happening to me?_ thought the Kazekage. He pulled back and looked at Hinata again. She was very sexy, really. No man in Suna would be able to take his hands off of her.

Smiling at Gaara, she took his hand, and also leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "Arigato, Gaara-kun."

Heart thudding in his chest, he listened to her sweet voice. It was replaying in his mind over and over again. He looked at her, as if to test the waters. Hinata was confused.

Gaara gently kissed her. It wasn't passionate or mind-reeling, just a sweet peck on the lips.

But it was enough to make him senseless and vulnerable. Hinata put her soft arms around his neck. _A-am I falling for the Kazekage?_ she wondered.

Gaara gently kissed her lips once again, causing her legs to become mushy. She held onto him for dear life. They kissed each other gently. When she felt Gaara's tongue press against her bottom lip, she gave in. Gaara felt the sweet caress of her tongue against his. Hinata was in heaven. She tasted the savoury scent of sand and coffee in his mouth. After a few minutes, Gaara left her lips.

They were both panting. Gaara was the first to speak.

"We should go to dinner, Hinata-chan."

"Lead the way, Gaara-kun." she smiled, and it sent his mind reeling. A blush formed on his cheeks.

Putting his hand in hers, he lead her out of her room.

* * *

A/N: AWWES!! KAWAII! Hmm, maybe I should make a three-shot that has Gaara/Hina in it.

READ AND REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	7. Unexpected Reconnaissance

**A/N.:I LOVE THIS FIC! I hope you guys love it too.**

Standard Disclaimer

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Chapter 7

Unexpected Reconnaissance

* * *

Gaara and Hinata walked down the steps, hand in hand. Temari saw this but didn't say a thing, smirking to herself.

Kankuro was wide eyed when he saw Hinata. "Damn, ya look amazing, Hinata!" That remark was soon followed by a blow to the head for him.

"What the...Temari!" Kankuro chased his sister around the house. Temari stopped for second and collided painfully with Hinata.

Meanwhile, Gaara was trying his best to be calm. "Can we go now?" he said through gritted teeth.

"Gomen." Temari said as she brushed herself off and held out a hand for Hinata.

The four of them went down the Hokage Tower in silence.

Finally, Gaara spoke. "Hinata, are you enjoying your stay in Suna?" he asked.

"Very much, thank you."

Temari dragged Kankuro farther away from the group. Kankuro started whining. "What're-"

"Shh. Look at the two lovebirds. Aren't they adorable." she gushed.

"Yeah yeah. Whatever. In the end, I'm still single." Kankuro muttered, mumbling to himself.

* * *

"What do you think, Temari? Should we go in there to eat?" asked Gaara, pointing to the faded sign.

They stopped in front of the famous restaurant, Quicksand Eatery. It was famous for its closeness to an enormous quicksand pit near the edge of Suna.

"Haha, I remembered when Gaara got reprimanded for putting graffiti all over the buddha who was trapped in it." Temari reminisced fondly.

"Ah, shut up, Temari-chan." Kankuro was definitely not in the mood.

They entered the restaurant and were greeted by a pretty waitress. Kankuro immediately changed his attitude.

"Hey babe." The girl giggled.

"Hey Kankuro." she replied. The man was taken totally off-guard.

The waitress looked hurt. "Did you really forget about me after all these years, Kanky-kun?"

Kankuro looked at her again and jumped four feet into the air in shock. "M-Matsuri-ch-chan?"

"The one and only." she giggled. "I'll find you guys a seat."

As they walked through the restaurant, Temari started chatting animatedly with the girl.

"How are you doing, Matsuri? We rarely see you in the tower anymore."

"Oh, well three years ago I got married." she replied.

"Oh congrats!" Temari shrieked. But she stopped as soon as she saw Matsuri's face. "What's wrong?"

"My husband died while on a mission. I was three months pregnant with my first child."

"Oh my goodness!! Sumimasen, Matsuri-chan." she said, hugging her tightly.

"AYA! Temari-chan, I can't see where I'm going!" she cried.

"Gomen."

They finally found their seat. Hinata took a chair beside Gaara. The Kazekage beamed at her.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, everyone. Meanwhile, make yourselves comfy!" she waved as she headed back to her post.

Kankuro was in a dazed shock. _Since when did Matsuri-chan become so mature?_ he thought.

Temari looked at her younger brother, shaking her head. The expression on his face was priceless.

Taking out her camera, she snapped a picture.

"For Kami's sake, Temari! We're in public." hissed Gaara. Hinata put her hand on his shoulder.

"Let them have some fun for once." she said while Temari and Kankuro were fighting in the background.

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, two foreigners to their right were looking at them. They looked like a couple. One had vivid red hair and glasses, while the other had a set of pointy gleamin white teeth and a muscle shirt with shorts on. They were staring at the four people on their left with astonishment.

"Hey, don't we know that girl?" said the woman, nodding her head towards Hinata.

"I think we do."

"Care to pay a visit to her?"

"Let's go."

They walked up to the table, ignoring the stares of other diners.

* * *

"THAT'S IT, TEMARI! I'VE HAD ENOUGH! THIS IS THE LAST STRAW!" Kankuro yelled as he made hand signs.

"Oh no you don't, Kankuro!" she yelled out a battle cry as she flattened him, crushing him under the table with her fan.

Once again brushing herself off, she got up to see two figures looking straight at her.

"Can I help you?" she said.

"Yes," said a graty voice. Hinata gasped. "Suigetsu-nii-kun?"

"Hinata?" said them both. Gaara clenched his fists.

"Ouch, Gaara. You're holding my hand too tightly." she complained.

"Gomen."

Turning to everyone at the table, she introduced the two.

"These two people are very good friends of mine." she said. Kankuro appeared from under the table, in a dishevelled state.

"What are you ta-" he gazed at the woman in front of him.

"Oh damn, girl! Are you an angel, because I think I've died and gone to heaven!" he exclaimed. The lady looked at him in disgust.

"Oh my. Kami save us." muttered Gaara. Hinata looked at the situation, wide-eyed and fearful.

"You wanna go, punk?" said the man, smiling with very pointy teeth.

"Um, not WHOA!" he squealed as the person wielded a large sword and swung it at him.

People around them started screaming.

"Dammit! Why does everything happen to me?" growled Gaara. He let go of Hinata's hand and made handsigns.

Sand surrounded the swordman. Suddenly a lady came into the scene. It was Matsuri. Her eyes were contorted with rage.

"THAT'S IT! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE WITH THE KAZEKAGE, I WANT ALL OF YOU PEOPLE TO GET OUT OF THIS RESTAURANT RIGHT NOW!"

* * *

Temari whacked Kankuro on the head for the fourth time that night.

"Will you stop it?"

"We wouldn't have been in this mess if you didn't have to say one of your disgusting pick-up lines?"

"Oh yeah?"

"YEAH NOW I'M STARVING BECAUSE OF IT!"

"OH LIKE YOU'RE ONE TO TA-"

"Shut up." muttered Gaara.

Hinata had activated her byakugan. Looking at the man in front of Kankuro, she said, "Why are you here, Suigetsu-nii-kun and Karin-chan?"

Karin dusted herself off. "Didn't you get the hints, Hina-chan?" Turning to Suigetsu, she clasped her hand in his.

"We're engaged, Hinata." admitted Suigetsu.

Hinata looked down at her feet. _I know it's supposed to be a joyous occasion, but Karin is probably still sad from the ordeal. Suigetsu probably stopped teasing her and they got together only out of loneliness.._

Looking at the two of them, Hinata gave each a fake smile.

"I hope you two are very happy together." Noticing her distress, Gaara quietly slipped his hand in hers.

"Well, we better get going. Please accept my brother's inaudible apologies." she said as she dragged Kankuro out of the scene. Gaara and Hinata followed them back to the Kazekage Tower.

After a few minutes, Karin looked at Suigetsu. "Should we have agreed to do this, Suigetsu-kun?"

"I dunno. I think it's a betrayal to Hinata, but do we have a choice?" he said quietly.

Karin started sobbing into his chest. "Why would anyone want to hurt Hinata? She's only a little mouse."

" I know. I know. We'll think of something." he said, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

* * *

"I think I'm gonna head back home to the kids. Shika's gonna kill me. I haven't paid much attention to him this week." she waved and headed in another direction.

Gaara, Hinata and Kankuro entered the tower.

"Hinata, your friends are scary. Since when do you hang out with people who have pointy teeth and large swords? Why do you call him nii-chan anyways?" Kankuro ranted on and on about Hinata's taste in friends.

Hinata giggled. "I hang out with you, don't I?"

Kankuro stared at her. "Did-did she just-"

"Yes. She just dissed you." said Gaara harshly. Kankuro shook his head like a dog out of water.

Sighing, the puppeteer went up to his room. "I gotta get some rest. Everyone's acting weird tonight. Goodnight y'all."

He disappeared.

Turning to look at Hinata, Gaara smiled, but soon stopped when he saw the look on Hinata's face.

"How could you not keep in touch with Matsuri-chan? She was your apprentice, for kami's sake!" she whirled around and went to her room.

Gaara's eyes followed her retreating figure. _Kankuro almost got sliced by one of her friends and she's worried about Matsuri?_ He ran after her.

Hinata closed the door and changed out of her kimono. She collapsed on her bed, not even bothering to change into her pajamas.

"Hinata?" she squeaked. Gaara's voice was in her ear.

"W-why do you always catch me wh-when I'm n-never decent?" Gaara chuckled. He lay on the bed beside her.

"The reason I didn't was because Matsuri wanted more than just "apprenticeship". She had more than a crush on me. I didn't feel the same way." he took Hinata's chin with his finger. The girl couldn't look away.

"Hinata. I want you to tell me everything that happened between you and Naruto." he said sternly. "If you don't, I might have to refuse to let you stay in the Kazekage Tower. There is a rule about people who stay without stating their business, you know." he smiled sadly.

"G-gaara-kun? C-could we please talk about it another time?" Hinata pleaded.

Gaara closed his eyes, as if in thought. "No. What better time than now?"

Pulling her into his chest, he purred silently. "I'm not forcing you to, Hina-hime. Just tell me when you want me to know." _Hina-hime, where did that come from?_

She took a shuddering breath and began.

* * *

"Good. So she's taking residence in the Kazekage Tower." said a orange-haired man with a scar across his face.

Karin and Suigetsu were kneeling in front of him, desperate to leave.

"I'll need you two to spy on her. Get as close as you can to her as possible." he growled. "Dismissed."

They ran from the room.

The man looked in his crystal ball and saw the nearly naked figure of Hinata.

"Finally, my precious Hyuuga-hime will be mine." he laughed maniacally, his voice reverberating across the hallways of the hideout.

* * *

A/N.: You like, you like?

Elsie-chan:READ AND REVIEW!!!!

Gaara: (blasting through a ceiling) WHAT THE KAMI HAVE YOU DONE TO HINATA, ELSIE-CHAN??

Elsie: oh dear...(makes handsigns for jutsu) Rat, monkey, boar.....CONFUSION JUTSU??

Gaara: wtf?

Elsie: Read and Review while Gaara-sama is in a daze!!!!! Hurry!


	8. Panic!

A/N: I know i've changed the rating from T to M. You know what this means. heheheh....^_^ LIMES AND LEMONS!

(not in this chapter, it's too soon for our dear Hina-hime)

Standard Disclaimer

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Chapter 8

Panic!

* * *

Hinata woke up to the sound of birds chirping. "What? Am I in Konoha?"

She started panicking. She then realized there was a person sleeping beside her. "KYAAAAA!" she screamed, attacking the unknown person.

In a flash, the stranger was right behind her, clenching her in a locked position.

"Hina-hime, it's me." At the sound of Gaara's voice, Hinata sighed from relief.

"G-g-gomen. I-i-i th-thought-" her words were inaudible as she cried into Gaara's chest. What she didn't realize was that the chest on which she was crying into was barren.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" she yelled, backing up as far as possible onto the bed. Gaara followed her. "Why so tense, Hina-hime? Do you remember what we did last night?" he grinned, and for a second Hinata could sense the demon in him.

"G-g-gaara-kun.." she moaned as the tanuki container started giving her butterfly kisses up and down her neck. "uhh..ohh...Gaa..gaa-garaa..." she whimpered as he nippled her tender flesh.

He stopped momentarily, stroking her back seductively. He moved forward, and Hinata could feel time stop for the two of them. "You're mine, my hime."

_Yo-you're mine??_ "Gaa-" she moaned as he placed a hand in between her legs and started to press.

"WHAAAA!" Hinata yelled. She looked around.

Placing a hand on her heart, she gasped for breath. Her cheeks were on fire. "I-it's only a dream..Only a dream.." she repeated it like a mantra. Who would've thought sweet, innocent Hinata would dream of such things?

Staring at her surroundings, she quickly sighed. She was in her room in Suna, and not in that dreadful house in Konoha.

Getting up, she stretched.

At the sound of her yawning, someone stirred in her bed.

"Who's there?" she said. A redhead burst out of the covers.

"Ga-GAAARA?????" she squealed and ran out the door, once again forgetting about last night and her temporarily laziness.

Running around the room, she stopped. Kankuro was busy enjoying a full breakfast, when he saw Hinata.

He walked over to her. "Do you not like clothes or what?"

"Huh...OH KAMI!!!" she screamed and ran up the stairs, and back into her room, where she saw Gaara looking at her with a grin on his face.

She collapsed from exhaustion and embarrassment.

* * *

"Temari, Hinata's doing it again." muttered Kankuro. He was on the phone with his sister, and he clearly wasn't amused.

Temari giggled. "What did she do now?" she asked. Shikamaru looked at her, eyebrows raised. Kurodu took this momentary lapse of attention to steal a cookie from the cookie jar.

"KURODU!" Temari glared menacingly. "Aw, mom!" he whined.

"No buts. Eat your dinner." she returned to the convo. "So, what happened?"

Kankuro groaned. "She ran squealing down the stairs in her underwear."

"Oh, why?"

"I dunno."

"Hey," Temari had a brainstorm. "Where was Gaara last night?"

"I heard them arguing, but that's it."

"Did you hear Gaara come up to his room?"

"Um...WHAT ARE YOU INSINUATING, TEMARI???"

"You know what I'm talking about!"

"I don't know you. Goodbye!" Kankuro slammed the phone and went up to Hinata's room.

* * *

Temari walked out the door with a screaming Kurodu in her hands. "I'm gonna get some groceries, Shika-kun!" she yelled.

"Okay. Try not to be too troublesome!"

"Yeah yeah. Whatever."

She walked hand in hand with her child to the supermarket.

* * *

"You know what you have to do," the orange-haired leader said.

"Hai." replied Karin and Suigetsu. They were escorted out of the hideout.

Once out of the station, Karin grabbed Suigetsu's arm. "Do we have to do this?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes." he didn't dare look at Karin. "Let's go."

* * *

Kurodu was jumping up and down, looking at all the various exotic fruits in the market.

"Kurodu, hold my hand, please!" scolded Temari. The young boy ignored her and ran around the market.

He was soon engulfed by the crowd.

"KURODU!!" screamed Temari. _Oh no, oh no, what if the people who were chasing Hinata and I..find him??_ she rushed towards the oncoming crowd.

* * *

"Wait Suigetsu! Temari's coming!" Karin yelped. Soon the blonde-haired kunoichi came up to them, gasping and panting.

"Can you help me find my son, please? I've lost him."

* * *

HELLO HELLO! READ THIS

**Okay since I'm bored, I shall be making a contest. Whoever wants to join this will have to review the fic. (HINT HINT!!!!)**

**THE WINNER GETS TO CHOOSE WHAT MY NEXT FIC IS ABOUT, THE PAIRING (IF), AND THE ENVIRONMENT.**

**Here's the question (mind you its a Naruto question!)**

_**Question: When and what year did the Naruto anime appear in Japan in TV Tokyo?**_

**This question counts for five points!!! I'll show you your points for the next chapter!**

**READ AND REVIEW!!!**


	9. Unusual Surprises Part 1

**A/N: Just to let you know, this chapter is REALLY LONG, because I need it to end somewhere without much of a cliff hanger. **

**The chapter will be divided into 2 parts. **

**Anyways....**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT GUYS!**

**I would like to thank the following reviewers: BloodxKanji, Basium1, Rileybby, Sandycookie1234, XxStarxGazerxX, Melenburger, UrbanGiant, gabiruchis, and Heaven's Evil.**

**Special Thanks to Heaven's Evil for completing the answer. The answer is October 3, 2002!**

Standard Disclaimer

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* * *

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**Chapter 9**

Unusual Surprises

Part 1 : Unknown Faces, Unfamiliar Feelings

* * *

Kurodu dashed and skipped all over the marketplace. He took some grapes, courtesy of a local shopkeeper, and headed around to the boutique store.

The door chimed as another customer walked in. Kurodu followed the customer.

He had bright orange hair with orange eyes a scar running down, with a cloth draped around him. Gathering his cloak, he immediately went down to the scroll section.

Kurodu took no notice of him as he scanned the familiar shop. The old shopkeeper looked at the child with a smirk. He always saw the boy in his shop, looking at new magazine releases. Judging by the hair and the lazy look in his eyes, he always assumed that it was one of the Nara children.

"Need any help, sonny?"

The little boy nodded his head lightly, playfully rubbing his hands with anticipation. He looked at the shelf again and saw just what he was looking for.

"Could I have that magazine up there, please?" he asked politely.

The old man let out a bark-like laugh. "Why, this is the new Jutsu magazine. It's all the rage."

Looking at the puppy-dog look in the boys eyes, he gave in.

"You can have it for free, my boy."

"Thank you so much!" he squealed, hugging the old man's middle.

He took the magazine from the shelf, and hurried down the store's steps and back to his mom.

Little did he realize that the orange-haired man was looking at him through the dusty window. He made the necessary signs for his genjutsu.

* * *

"Kurodu!" yelled Karin. They had been searching for at least half an hour. Temari stopped momentarily to wipe the sweat off of her brow.

Suigetsu stopped too and took a deep breath. "I-I'm pooped."

Karin punched him in the shoulder. "Ow!" he whined.

"We have to keep on looking!" she pushed through the crowd.

"Forget it." he said firmly, grabbing Karin's arm. He turned to Temari. "What should we do now?"

"I think we should tell Gaara and Hinata. This concerns them as well."

Suigetsu looked at her questioningly. _I know that this concerns her brother, but what does Hinata have to do with it?_

Meanwhile, Karin knew the reason why Temari said those exact words.

* * *

Kurodu ran onto the street. He was so immersed in his magazine that he didn't know where he was going. It was only until he turned a page that he realized where he was.

"Whoa! I'm never eating anymore cookies ever again." the kid exclaimed. He was in an alternate-universe type of world. The colors were all inverted, and the people around him had dazed-looks on their faces.

Kurodu tried waving his hands over their faces. None of them flinched.

"This is weird."

"I think you're lost, young man."

"Who's there?" Kurodu turned around and found himself face-to-face with the orange-haired man he met earlier in the store. He was the only person who's colors weren't negatively enhanced.

"Just your friendly neighbour."

"W-who are you?" he asked, not quite trusting him.

The man chuckled deeply. "You want to know my name?"

"Y-yes."

He leaned down and whispered into the boy's ears. "My name is..."

* * *

Temari slowly dragged her feet to the Kazekage Tower. Karin put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. He'll be able to help, Temari." Karin reassured.

The blonde-haired kunoichi put her face in her hands and sobbed.

Suigetsu took her arm gently and guided her to the Kazekage office. He knocked hard, twice.

"Come in."

Suigetsu trudged in, holding a crying Temari who was gently being comforted by Karin. Seeing his sister in distress, he stood up immediately.

"Temari-nii-chan! What's wrong?

"H-Help m-me find K-Kurodu, p-please.." she sobbed hysterically onto Gaara's shoulder as Karin and Suigetsu gently let her go.

"Don't worry Temari-nii-chan. I'll find him. You wait here."

He went up to Hinata's room. She looked at him in shock when Gaara stormed in.

"Hinata, we need your help. Get ready to leave. I'll wait for you."

"H-Hai. What's the matter."

Gaara only muttered two words. "Kurodu."

The kunoichi almost hiraishin'd out of the room, leaving a scent of lavender lingering in the air.

* * *

"Wow! What a cool name! My mom only just called me Kurodu. It's after my granddad, so it's not really that special." Kurodu sighed.

The man looked at his watch. "I think your parents are looking for you. Want to come and look for them?"

Kurodu nodded his head and took the man's hand.

* * *

Neji walked to the Suna border, remembering the details of the mission. He tensed for the big dash.

As he was running, he thought of Hinata. He always knew that Naruto wasn't good for her, in his opinion, but he always seemed to make her happy. That was what mattered to Neji.

_Of course I thought I was the only suitable candidate for her, but I respected her wished. Why did she leave if she was so in love with Naruto?_

Clearly he had many questions for the Hyuuga heiress.

_Neji, in his yukata, was staring at a four-year old girl in the only colorful kimono in the room. She was peeking at him behind her father, the Hyuuga Warlord. _

_Turning to his father, he said, "She's cute Otou-san."_

_Hizashi looked at his son in surprise, before changing his features into a frown._

_"What's the matter Otou-san?"_

_Hizashi looked at his son. "Nothing, my child."_

_Neji looked back at the little girl. Looking at him gently, she smiled. _

_That smile started a fire in little Neji's heart._

* * *

"Temari! What happened?" asked Hinata. She was dressed in a traditional ANBU uniform, her muscles surprising well-toned for a girl.

"H-Hinata...P-promise me th-that you and G-gaara...w-will find m-my son..." Temari broke down. Hinata knelt in front of her best friend.

"If I don't find your son, I can assure you that you will never see my face again." she started, but Temari stopped her.

"Don't say that Hinata-chan! If I lose you along with my son, I'll never forgive myself!" she cried. Hinata touched her arm soothingly.

"That's why I will not fail in this mission, Temari. You have my word that I will find him. I swear it on my nindo."

And with that, Hinata took Gaara's hand and they zoomed out of the tower.

* * *

"So, who are your parents, Kurodu-san?" asked the orange-haired man, pulling the little boy out of the genjutsu (that he created).

Kurodu looked at him. Sure, he trusted the man enough now, but that didn't stop him from doubting.

Seeing this, the stranger bent down. "I won't know how to help you unless I know who your parents are."

"Oh. Well my kaa-chan is Sabaku No Temari and my otou-san is Nara Shikamaru."

"That's better. Let's go to your kaa-chan." he grinned, and Kurodu reluctantly smiled back.

* * *

Hinata scanned the now deserted marketplace, Gaara waited impatiently. Every now and then he'd grunt.

"Gaara-kun, I'm trying to concentrate." she scolded.

"Heh. I knew this would happen."

Hinata ignored them. Using a bit more of her byakugan, she once more scanned the area within 500 meters.

The heiress gasped. "Kurodu's there, but I sense another being..." _What's that unusual chakra signature? I remember it from somewhere..._

Gaara looked at her face with concern. _Hinata..._

"Oh Kami! It's him!" she squealed as Kurodu and the unknown man walked closer to them.

* * *

Naruto sighed. How did he get into this problem?

_Naruto sighed as he stroked Hinata's hair. The girl looked at him, smiling sweetly._

_"Hinata you're so beautiful." he murmured, causing Hinata to blush._

_Suddenly she stood up. "Naruto-kun, could we go see the new movie on Friday?" she asked anxiously._

_"Of course. You know that whenever you're happy, i'm happy."_

Everything was frustrating for him. Along with paperwork, he had to deal with the ghosts of his past. He could practically hear them screaming his name for help.

And yet, even though he saw their pain, he didn't even lift a finger to help them.

"Sumimasen....Jiraiya-sensei...Tsunade-baa-chan...I've really messed up, haven't I?" he laughed hysterically. His resounding insanity rang through the dark halls of the Hokage Tower. No one who worked there dared to enter and ask if he was okay.

Everyone knew that his mentality was slowly depleting.

* * *

Gaara grabbed Hinata, who was struggling to get to the pair. "Hina-hime, listen to me! Do you honestly know this person?"

"I TOLD YOU, GAARA! I KNOW HIM!" she pressed all of her chakra into her hands, and she pressed on the arms that were restraining her.

She dashed madly to the stranger.

"HINATA!" Gaara cried. _No! Does she actually know this person? And what is this chakra i'm feeling that's oozing out of him? Something's wrong here!_

* * *

Many ninjas saw a long-haired ANBU from Konoha dash across the desert, but didn't do anything so as to not suffer the Hokage's wrath.

But this ANBU agent wasn't worried about oncoming trouble. He had only one thing on his mind right now.

The ANBU, also known as Hyuuga Neji, wiped his face with his hand.

As he ran across the harsh desert, he thought of the past. He remembered about all the hurt he caused her.

_Just when our relationship towards each other is getting better, she runs away from Konoha!_

"I will never ever desert you, Hinata-chan." he muttered.

What he didn't realize was that an ominous sandstorm was creeping up behind him.

* * *

I just realized. Everyone who read Invasion of Privacy, I'm sorry. I have changed one part. I was reading the new chapter of Naruto, and I kept on forgetting that in this fic, Naruto is the new Hokage. OOPS! My bad. Anyway, please read Invasion of Privacy again to understand what Naruto's going through in this chapter. Once again, sumimasen!!

**Here's another question:**

**Who composed the **_**Naruto**_** soundtracks?**

**READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Point Holders are (drumroll please) **

**Heaven's Evil: 5**

**CONGRATS TO ALL WINNERS OF THIS ROUND!!**


	10. Unusual Surprises Part 2

**A/N: OOPS! I split these two chapters in half! SUMIMASEN!**

**Well, THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! Yes I have updated two days earlier than usual. I have decided to leave Shattered Clay as a one-shot because, well I NEVER IMAGINED IT TO BE A THREE-SHOT! I just can't see Deidara with Sakura, Sumimasen everyone who was looking forward to it...**

**Special Thanks to BloodxKanji for completing the answer! you get 5 points and a virtual cookie!**

Standard Disclaimer

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Chapter 10

Unusual Surprises

Part 2: Stranger/Friend

* * *

"JUUGO!" screamed Hinata. She quickly wrapped her dainty arms around the tall man's middle. Kurodu went up to his uncle and together they watched the reunion.

Gaara was in his pensive state. He turned to Kurodu, and asked him, "Do you trust this man, Kurodu?"

His reply was fast. "He did help me, oji-san."

"True." Even though Kurodu reassured him, he still felt a pang of jealousy. Hinata never would fling herself deliberately at him. Frowning, he took Kurodu by the hand.

Kurodu didn't budge. Gaara grew impatient.

"What's wrong, boy?"

Kurodu didn't look at him. "You don't like Juugo-san, do you, Gaara-sama."

Gaara looked at the boy. _He's really good at seeing people's reactions._

"Well, I just don't know him so I don't trust him. That's all."

Kurodu frowned at his uncle. For a child, he could easily outfrown Gaara, and that was saying something.

"But you can trust him! He brought me here, didn't he?"

"I just have a few things to consider."

"You just don't like him because he gets along well with Hinata-chan." the boy pouted, as Gaara looked at Hinata and Juugo laughing.

"Huh?"

"Never mind.." muttered the boy, as he led Gaara back to the Tower.

* * *

"You've changed, Hinata-chan!" exclaimed Juugo, looking at Hinata. The girl blushed.

"It seems that you're shrinking, Juugo-kun.." she smiled at him. Juugo's heart pounded twice.

He looked at the Hyuuga's happy face. She did look different. In fact, she was so beautiful that it hurt Juugo to look at her.

"What brings you here to Suna?" she asked, not noticing how Juugo's eyes averted her face.

"I'm trying to find work here. I need to get my life back on track. Ever since..." he stopped, forcing himself to look at Hinata.

The girl had a huge fake smile plastered on her face.

"..well you know, anyways I need a good job." he finished lamely.

"Oh, well since you're good with birds, Juugo-kun, I think you should work with Suna's bird messengers! Wouldn't that be fun!" Hinata smiled a genuine smile.

"Hmm. I could."

"Well, let's get you all settled in." exclaimed Hinata, grabbing Juugo's hand.

* * *

Gaara looked at the sky from his desk. He scanned the horizon, pondering about things that recently changed his life.

_Hinata._

_Secrets from Konoha._

_Hinata._

_The elders._

_Hinata._

_Naruto._

_Hina-hime..._

_..._

"Why can't I stop thinking about her?" he roared, slamming his fist on the table. "Everything I do makes me think of her...what is this feeling..."

He clutched protectively around his heart.

_Can I let her in?_

_Can I accept her past?..._

_...Am I the one for her?.._

"I've always thought of Hinata as my savior. Now she's just confusing me..."

_Do I like that she's confusing me?_ he thought to himself.

_Do I like that she always smiles at me?_

_Do I enjoy the fact that she blushes when I speak to her, touch her, or even look at her?_

He looked angrily around the room. His eyes trailed over to the chakra channel that was perched on top of a shelf.

_I might've lost my hime that day..._ He reminisced angrily.

He glanced up at the horizon. The sunset gleamed dark red, and the wind was making circles around the dunes. The clouds had highlights of red and black in them.

_Oh Kami, there's gonna be a sandstorm! _He rushed out to make an emergency message.

* * *

Neji ran as fast as he could. He could feel the sand moving beneath his toes.

"What is this weather?" he wondered out loud. _Either way I don't want to find out!_

He rushed through the hard ground, and he ran through the gates of Suna, ignoring the numerous guards who were yelling at him.

He used his kaiten to ward them off.

Knowing that the man was a lost cause, the guards looked back, only to see a massive wall of sand coming towards them.

_

* * *

_

It's too late!

Gaara ran out of the building and, taking off his traditional Kazekage garment, Gaara used the sand from his gourd to hoist him up into the air.

He looked over to the east. The storm was brewing.

Using almost all of his chakra, he conjured tons of sand from the west, and spread it over Suna like a protective layer.

* * *

Hinata ran after Juugo. "What are you doing, Juugo-kun?" she cried.

Juugo was running faster than her by a long shot. "Hurry up, Hinata-chan!" he yelled hoarsely. "There's a sandstorm!"

Sure enough, Hinata glanced back to see sand swirling from every direction.

Juugo saw that Hinata was stopping.

"Here Hinata! Climb on my back!"

"What?"

"JUST DO IT!" he growled. Hinata obeyed. He focused all of his chakra to the feet, and they zoomed away.

_

* * *

_

I'm done for, I'm done for, I'm...

thought Neji. He randomly went through a building, and closed the door.

Running up the stairs, he opened the nearest door he could find, where he saw Kankuro listening to music on his iPod. It was apparent that he had been singing before Neji burst in.

Kankuro stared at him. "Um..that's random. When did you get here? Are you related to Hinata in some way?"

Neji grabbed him, and he took off the headset and stated, "There's a massive sandstorm, in case you haven't noticed!"

The puppetmaster looked at the west window. "Uh..Is this an episode of Punk'd?"

"IDIOT!" screeched Neji in a most un-Neji-like manner, and he yanked at Kankuro's arm, making the puppeteer shout an "Ow! BAKA!" in shock.

"OKAY OKAY! I GET IT, MAN! JEEZ!" he whined, picking up his prized puppet and heading out the door, lead by a fuming Neji.

* * *

Kurodu ran inside the house. "KAA-CHAN!" he screamed.

Temari, Karin and Suigetsu ran down the stairs to greet him.

"Kurodu! Never do that again, please, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Temari cried.

"I'm fine Mum, I'm fine." He quickly grabbed his mother's attention to the massive storm gathering. "There's a sandstorm and Hinata-chan's outside!"

* * *

Gaara blinked a bead of sweat from his eye. Soon all of Sunagakure would be covered in a protective layer against the oncoming onslaught of sand.

Villagers from all over were in awe. This was the second time in history that their Godaime Kazekage had to create such a barrier.

All of Suna braced themselves for the storm.

Kankuro and Neji joined Gaara. Neji was amazed at Gaara's chakra abilities. He was about to compliment the Kazekage, when Kankuro hissed in his ear.

"Don't distract him."

Neji glared at Kankuro, and then he shut up.

Soon Temari spotted the trio near the tower. She had brought Suigetsu and Karin over to the scene, along with Shikamaru, who left the kids with the Nara's grandmother.

"What's going on?" Temari mouthed to Kankuro. Suigetsu and Karin looked at each other, fearful of what was to come.

* * *

Juugo looked back at the oncoming storm. The sky darkened, as if to torment the duo.

"Juugo-kun, what's happening? I can't look." cried Hinata. She could hear the storm gathering around her.

Reassuring himself more than the girl, he responded. "We'll make it, we'll make it..." he repeated it like a mantra. Pretty soon, it occupied his thoughts.

He could feel his chakra fading away. He lost so much of it from running. He could see the Kazekage Tower looming in the distance, like a beacon of light for the two of them. Ignoring the pain and the heaviness of his feet, he managed to give out one mad dash towards the building before his legs gave way. They landed a few feet from the building. Juugo was unconscious from the heavy chakra loss.

Unfortunately for the two of them, they weren't recognized by the kage siblings.

* * *

Gaara sweated profusely as he tried to finish the barrier. He swooned under the pressure. _No! Not like last time! Don't let it end like last time!_ he screamed inside his head. And like last time, he used all of his chakra to transport the sand back to the west of Suna.

He saw the blurry figures of Kankuro, Temari, Shikamaru, Suigetsu and Karin look at him in shock before he collapsed.

_No!_

_Temari! _he lifted his hand unconsciously._ Help me...anyone..._

_..._

_no..._

_..._

_...sandst..orm....._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_Hinata....where's Hinata?....._

_..._

_..._

His consciousness drifted into a dusty, cracked ground, just like in the countless number of dreams he had. And just like his dreams, the loneliness was there.

He looked at the white sky, searching for a sign of life. He glared at the dusty, cracked earth. He felt a slight tinge, a slight twist of a migraine starting in his head.

Then that was the part where the pain came.

* * *

Hinata focused her eyes at the land before her. She landed on top of Juugo. In a normal situation, this would make the Hyuuga's cheeks flush into a shade of red unknown to mankind, but as this was an emergency, she concentrated on activating her Byakugan.

She hoisted Juugo's body on her frail back. Focusing all of her chakra to her spine, she ran inside the tower to get help.

* * *

"Gaara!" screamed Temari. She started to come towards the man, but Shikamaru held her back.

Never before had Temari lost her mind like this. "Shh dear, everything's alright..." reassured Shikamaru. Temari grabbed his jonin vest and started crying on it.

Kankuro tried to recreate the seals like the last time, but Gaara was in a disastrous state. He settled on containing his brother.

"Help me, don't just stand there!" he yelled at Karin and Suigetsu. They immediately went to his side.

Suigetsu grinned a you're-the-boss grin. "Okay, mon capitaine. Tell us what to do."

"I need your help for this seal. Karin, come to my right. Suigetsu come to my left. We're creating a jutsu barrier for Gaara. Hopefully it will contain him."

Both of them nodded their understanding, and positioned themselves for the jutsu.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGH**HHHHHHH"** yelled Gaara as the demon inside of him started taking control.

**"So, Gaara. What should we do?? kukukuku....." **Gaara winced in pain as he heard his demon side speak.

Chosing to ignore the throbbing pain in his left side, Gaara muttered. "Go away, mother."

The Tanuki started laughing shrilly, the creature's voice echoed across the dry ground. **"My own host, telling me what to do? This is unheard of. Tell me, who is this "Hinata" that invades your mind permanently right now?"**

Gaara looked at his hands in shock. _Oh Kami, I'm bleeding..._

The jinchuuriki read his thoughts. **"Heh, squirt. Tell me about her, or I'll make you bleed till you drown in it. Spit it."**

_So this is a suicide mission for this jinchuuriki, eh?_ thought Gaara. "You're an idiot. If I die, you die."

**"And if you die, Hinata's heart dies. Or has she fallen for this "Juugo" character yet?"**

"Shut up."

**"Make me."**

Gaara clenched his teeth in anger. **"Listen idiot. You have feelings for the girl, so quit trying to run away from them. Whup Juugo's ass, and go and have fun with Hinata. Hope you have lots of children with her."**

"BAKA! I don't think of Hinata that way."

**"What if you do?"**

Gaara stared at the blankscape as the pain started to go away. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"H-hinata?"

* * *

"It's not working!" cried Suigetsu, arm ripening from the chakra.

Karin looked down at the Kazekage. He was still once again, unmoving, as if he was one of the undead.

"T-temari, K-kankuro," she began. The siblings whipped around as Karin called out to them, her back turned in their direction.

"I th-think he's gone."

* * *

Managing to find a nurse at hand, she let her take Juugo and ran down the stairs, only to find Suigetsu, Karin, Temari and Shikamaru kneeling beside a figure, their backs turned. Temari was crying on Shikamaru's shoulder. Neji, who looked back, saw her, and slowly rubbed the tears from his eyes.

Hinata blinked as she got closer. She didn't wonder why her cousin was there, but the fact remained that Neji was crying. She didn't like the feel of this at all.

The noise of the sandstorm died down, as the sand poured around like gentle rain. The sun shone on the object the group was staring at, giving Hinata a detailed view.

"G-gaara?"

Pushing past her cousin, she knelt in front of Gaara, pressing a hand on his shoulder. She shook him hard, yet gentle.

"Gaara, you have to wake up! WAKE UP!" she screamed, tears slowly falling like rain onto the redhaired man.

* * *

"What did you say, Hina-hime?" asked a curious Gaara. He looked around the barren desert, searching for a pale-eyed girl.

* * *

Hinata was crying. "You have to wake up, Gaara. Everyone's here for you. If you go now..." she said.

* * *

Through the pearly irises, Gaara searched and found liquid falling from them.

"No! Don't cry...." He reached out to catch her tears, but he wasn't able to touch her. _What's happening?_

* * *

"Gaara....I need you...More than ever right now..." she sobbed hysterically, collapsing on his chest.

"Hinata..." said Temari softly, rubbing her nose.

She continued to sob even harder.

"Hinata, Gaara's-"

"NO HE ISN'T"

"Th-that's n-not-"

"Hinata," said a deeper voice. She looked around frantically, not noticing that the voice came from below.

"It's me."

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THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY! And yes I know that I haven't really read it all thoroughly. I just don't have the time. -_-'

**I can assure you that chapter 11 will shock you people even more.....kukukuku..... **

**(hint hint Ncouaghcrouguhctougho) if you managed to decode it, you win a prize! (5 pts)**

**REVIEW**


	11. Depression

Disclaimer: Standard.

This chapter occurs a few days after the ordeal...

Kind of Naruto oriented..

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Chapter 11

Depression

* * *

Naruto paced in his office. He hadn't eaten or slept for days.

Gripping his head in pain, he was once again tormented by his inner ghosts.

_I've treated so many people wrongfully in the past few months. I've hurt Hinata-chan so much that she can hardly stand on her own. Thankfully Gaara-san was there to help her. I know I haven't helped her at all._

He poured himself a glass of sake from the drinks cabinet in his office, and drank one shot. Focusing his bleary eyes, he sat down on his desk chair he inherited by Tsunade. It was old and faded, yet it provided so much comfort, that Naruto never once thought of throwing it out.

_If you're out there, Tsunade-chan, sumimasen. I don't even know why you chose me for Hokage anyway, because I suck. I've emotionally wounded my colleagues for too long, that I was beginning to wonder when they'd send my own ANBU to kill me._ At this thought, Naruto laughed bitterly, pouring himself another glass. He thought about his perverted old godfather, who was probably enjoying his own version of heaven, which most likely had plenty of girls, including Tsunade.

_I hope those two will be very happy together in heaven..._

He put his hands together, like Lady Tsunade usually did when deep in thought. A small rap on his door aroused him from his thoughts. _No one'll dare to come in, I bet. They all know of my problems, and..._ The jonin opened the door, put the package inside, and closed it, his footsteps disappearing quickly.

Naruto broke down as fresh tears cascaded down his whisker-markings. He pulled at his hair, causing him even more stress.

_I EVEN KILLED MY OWN "BROTHER"!_ He thought of Sasuke, and wondered if he managed to go to heaven at all. He smiled sarcastically to himself. _I shouldn't even be talking. All the things I've done to everyone here is enough to make me earn an immortal life sentence to the pits of Hades._

He walked up to his drinks cabinet once more, and took a bottle of vodka, made in 1973. Walking back to his desk, he slumped down on his chair and mixed the two beverages together. He stared at his reflection in the alcoholic liquid. He looked a mess. There were new scars around his face, and he had the remnants of a nosebleed from when Hanabi punched him after learning about what he did to Hinata.

_I can't even believe that Hiashi-san would think of hurting Hinata even more. He knew about all the times I abused her, yet he did nothing of it. The only thing he did was to make Hinata marry Neji, which she's probably crying about right now, once Neji tells her._

"WHAT'S TAKING NEJI SO LONG??" He slammed his first on the desk, causing it to cave in under the sheer pressure. He threw the shotglass to the other side of the room, where it smashed into a million pieces, along with Naruto's mind.

_I don't deserve to be here..._

_...In fact, I don't even deserve to live..._

_Why am I here anyway? _He thought back to the subconscious talk he had with his father when he was fighting Pein.

_"The reason I sealed half the fox's chakra inside you is because I believed you could use it, because you're my son."_

Naruto brought the two wine bottles to his mouth and chugged, feeling the alcohol swirl in the back of his throat. His insides were wreaking havoc in his body, unsettling his inner peace once again.

_"You will have to find the answer to peace by yourself, Naruto. I don't know the answer."_

_"But if you and that pervy sage couldn't do it, how can I!!? That's not fair!! I'm stupid and I'm not a great ninja and.."_

_Yondaime grabbed the front of his son's hair._

_"You will find the answer. I..believe in you."_

Naruto looked at his office. The place was in disarray from his outbursts and inner tormented thoughts. Bugs were starting to crawl. One of them tried to crawl on Naruto, but he crushed it to dust with his thumb and index.

"I guess you were wrong dad. Your belief was wasted. I'm wasted. I give up, I can't do this anymore. My nindo has been destroyed. I've lost all my friends. I've even emotionally raped my own wife for Kami's sake! I won't waste the air with my breath."

He recalled a time when everyone was afraid of him because of the Kyuubi. "Well, it seems that the villagers will get their wish."

He took out a pen and paper and begun to write his will.

_Citizens of Konoha,_

_It is with a sad face and a heavy heart that I must bestow upon you another Hokage to take my place. I am simply not fit for the job._

_I have put your families in danger for years with my Kyuubi, stirring fear into your hearts whenever I was around._

_I have been a magnet for many terrorists and criminal organizations for years. Because of this, they have attacked Konoha._

_I have been the cause of a deserter, Uchiha Sasuke, and in return, I am the murderer of the last Uchiha._

_I have hurt emotionally my fellow comrades, and have lost their trust._

_I have even abused my own wife due to her undying affections for Uchiha Sasuke._

_Due to all of this, I shall disappear from daily life as it is. _

_My heir shall be Yamato Taichou._

_~Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, Rokudaime Hokage._

And with that, he began to plot his "disappearance". But in reality, he was pondering on the ways in which to end his life.

His demon form was kicking in because of Naruto's emotions. The Kyuubi did not want to die with Naruto. Nevertheless, Naruto looked around the hokage office through Kyuubi's eyes. He busted the door off its hinges and stormed out of the Hokage office, like he'd done on several occasions in his youth.

Only this last action would be his final outburst aimed at the world.

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NOTE:

Despite the fact that nobody likes Naruto (I AM BEING POLITICALLY INCORRECT) I will not kill him. Promise. That is my nindo.

Dattebayo!

READ AND REVIEW


	12. For Better Or Worse

Standard Disclaimer

A/N.: The poll i had a few days ago is now officially closed. I have made a new poll: How should I end this fic? Happy, sad, mysterious? Choose your pick. AND PLEASE REVIEW THIS OR I WILL HAVE TO MAKE FOUR DIFFERENT ENDINGS AND THAT WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE. lol jk.

Soo.....

You people want me to kill off Naruto? (wiggles eyebrows suggestively) JUST KIDDING! I have no plans to kill off any of the characters. At least not until I get to the 15th chapter....(DUH DUH DUNUH)

okay here's ages: Karin: 23, Suigetsu: 23,

Juugo: 26, Hinata: 22,

Gaara: 22, Naruto: 21,

Sakura: 22, Neji: 25

Shikamaru: 22, Temari: 25

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Chapter 12

For Better Or Worse

* * *

Haruno Sakura wiped the sweat dripping from her eyes. She had just finished her shift at the hospital, and she was absolutely dead on her feet.

A flash of yellow burst from the Hokage Tower, nearly making Sakura fall on her butt. She knew who it was.

_Naruto?_ The blonde didn't notice her. He ran to the outskirts of the village. Totally ignoring the pain forming in her thighs, she followed him. Even though Naruto wasn't in any position to talk to anyone, she was dangerously curious as to what happened to him. Like all the villagers in the village, she always thought that Naruto was very happy with his marriage to Hinata. "Naruto! Stop!" she cried out. _What's going on with him?_

_Ugh. Sakura._ Naruto shunshin'd even faster, desperately trying to get away from her.

"NARUTO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING??" Sakura cried out, as he sped away. She wiped the dust from her eyes and continued to run.

_That's it. I'm cornering him...Something's not right with him_.. Sakura decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Henge No Jutsu!" she yelled. Four Sakura's burst out, intent on capturing the ex-Hokage. They appeared in front of the man, and pinned him down. He thrashed all over, biting some doppelgangers, but even the Kyuubi was against him this time, and wasn't lending him any strength anymore.

Naruto was furious. "If you were my friend, Sakura, you'd let me go!" he growled menacingly at first. Then he saw tears escaping out of Sakura's eyes.

"Wh-what happened to the cute little furball who'd always say 'Dattebayo' and would always rant about being Hokage? I miss him." she mumbled, rubbing her raw eyes.

Sniffing miserably, she started clutching at her the ends of her shirt. Her sparkling green eyes shined, if ever possible, as she stared at him. For one alarming moment, she was acting like Hinata. Naruto twitched. He looked properly at her again. She was different, way too different. Making a note to smack himself royally for only thinking about Sasuke, he felt disgusted that he never really payed attention to her. With her nurse outfit, short pink locks, and smooth legs, he thought she was quite beautiful. Staring into her eyes closely, he saw the impending wave of tears threatening to cloud her vision.

_Sakura..._

She went on. "I used to be able to count on you for support. Just you being there, acting like you, made me want to improve, get better. But now...I don't know anymore, Naruto."

The Rokudaime took a step closer to Sakura. "I'm fine I told you."

She ignored him, glaring at his shoulder. "And what exactly happened when you went to retrieve Hinata five years ago? You've changed since that-" But she couldn't finish her sentence, because Naruto punched her in the gut.

"Naruto!" she choked out in surprise. She flew into a tree, coughing out blood. The blond looked disoriented. He looked at the guilty fist he had made.

_What am I doing? What's wrong..._

Sakura fainted, blood trickling down her mouth.

..._with me?_

* * *

"I choose....green."

"2."

"3."

"..." Karin tensed, as she snuck a glance at her teammates. She knew they had something on their sleeves.

"..." Juugo scrunched his eyes in anger. He had eighteen cards, and was definitely not gonna get rid of them soon..

"4 yellow."

Hinata smiled triumphantly at everyone.

"UNO!"

Neji Hyuuga took a sip of chai tea, watching Hinata laughing her head off at Juugo, who was glaring at her for winning. Gaara came from out of the kitchen and sat down in the chair opposite of him. He had been released from the hospital, but he was still suffering. Wincing slightly, he moved the chair to a more comfortable position right beside the Hyuuga.

"So what brings you here Neji?" the Kazekage asked, startling the poor Hyuuga.

"Do you want to join them?" said Neji, changing the subject. He got up, leaving his unfinished tea on a coaster, and took a seat on the ground next to Hinata. Temari, Shikamaru, Suigetsu, Karin, Juugo and Neji were now joining in the game. His sister even brought her family to the tower, and they were running around and giving him a slight headache from seeing their blurs and hearing their highpitched voices. _Seriously, how does Temari balance her ninja life and her family?_ Gaara rubbed his face vigorously out of exhaustion.

When he finally looked up from scratching at his kanji, he saw Hinata giving Juugo a hug. Gaara felt that familiar pang of jealousy throbbing in his chest. Growling under his breath, he saw that his clenched fist was drilling a hole in the table.

Gaara glared at the group. He slowly got up, went to the door, and accidentally slammed it behind him. They all looked up from dealing the new cards.

_G-gaara? _thought Hinata worriedly. She dropped her new cards on Juugo's lap. "Oh great, Hinata. Now I have twenty-three cards."

Hinata glared angrily at him. "What did I do, Hinata-chan?" he asked worriedly.

"Everything!" she went out through the same door that the redhead got out of. And like Gaara, she slammed the door. Only this time it was on purpose.

Juugo stared at everyone. "Do any of you know what I did?" he asked.

"Meh. Let's just play." said Suigetsu, indifferent to the drama brewing around him. "Hey, I have a color switching card thingy!"

_What the hell..._ Karin smacked Suigetsu, hard.

* * *

"Gaara!" yelled Hinata. She ran up the spiral staircase of the Kazekage Tower, shouting at the top of her lungs. "Wha-" she tripped, and keeled over, falling on a landing. Shaking, she turned and lifted up her pant leg, where a throbbing ankle could be seen. "D-dammit." _Wait, did I just say...oh well._

She grabbed a handrail and began the long climb up the kage stairs.

* * *

"Sakura-chan.." Naruto began weakly, but quickly shut up, knowing the situation was dire. He soon stopped his fidgeting and walked up to the unconscious pink-headed lady.

It was like old times, when he'd accidentally would lose control and forget his surroundings. He was disoriented, and even the small movement of the wind was loud to his ears. Everything felt so raw and shiny. When Naruto got over the sudden change of being knocked into reality, he started realizing on what he was doing.

He was unconsciously trying to heal Sakura.

* * *

Juugo was a man of few words. Naturally, everything he communicated was usually understood pretty quickly by his late friend, Uchiha Sasuke. But since the sharingan user had gone missing for a few months, he felt lost. After he lost Sasuke in the Uchiha hideout, he had been roaming around with the remainder of "Hebi", looking for another person capable of changing his/their lives. The only person other than Sasuke who would understand him was Hyuuga Hinata. And it also helped that he had a major crush on the girl.

Ignoring the antics of his former teammates, who were busy trying to kill each other, he got up, scattering his twenty-odd cards on top of Karin's head. The latter was trying to dismember Suigetsu, who was shrieking wildly and flapping his arms. Taking advantage of the skirmish, Temari and Shikamaru were busy making out in a random corner. So fortunately for Juugo, no one realized he was going until he was gone. Or so he thought. Neji was busy watching everything with narrowed eyes.

Nobody gets away from a byakugan user.

Opening the door, he ran into Kankuro, who had just come from "the library". They nodded politely to each other upon walking through the threshold. As soon as Juugo turned a corner, he sprinted into the night, his long blue cloak flapping around him.

* * *

Gaara stared morosely outside his window. He had been staring through it for more than an hour now, and it definitely wasn't helping him at all. Brushing the odd bang out of his sullen face, he was so immersed in his thoughts, but it didn't stop him from hearing the soft footsteps approaching his bedroom door. Wishing with all his might that the person would just go away, he grumbled and moved into a more assertive position on the windowsill.

"Gaara-kun? M-may I come in please?" His ears perked up, but his face didn't change.

"Come in."

The shy girl entered the vast room. The girl (or lady, I should say) looked nervously at her surroundings. The floor was adorned with a red velvety carpet, and the overall appearance looked quite lavishing. In the corner, there was a shiny mahogany laptop sitting on top of a big dark desk. The scent of cologne was obvious, yet subtle, and it lingered in the dimly lit room. A clock, which was elegantly nailed to the wall, was ticking away the seconds until it was finally nighttime. A big king-size bed was innocently put in a corner, with its various shades and layers of burgundy red majestically spread across the mattress. The bedframe was a four-poster, and it suited the room just fine. Hinata couldn't even close her mouth because it looked so...expensive. Even a generation of Hyuugas couldn't and wouldn't have spent money on such wealthy items. At home, Hinata had a comfy double-sized bed, and it was good enough for her.

_Why does Gaara need such a bed, when he doesn't look like he...needs it?_ _Speaking of Gaara..._ Hinata whirled around from touching the polished frame of the bedpost, and looked at him. He was ignoring her, and it wasn't a good sign.

"Gaara?" Hinata slowly approached him. Suddenly Gaara disappeared. _Huh?_ But her thoughts were cut off abruptly, as she felt a hand crawling up her back. The intruder's breath tingled her neck, leaving trailing scents of coffee and chocolate. She sighed, instantly liking the newfound scents in her nose. Alien arms wrapped around her middle, as she heard a familiar deep voice rumble silently. The stranger spoke.

"Hinata, I need you to tell me the truth." Hinata tensed at his words. She was never good when others would confront her, even at her best.

Gaara cleared his throat, and dove in. "What are your relations...with...this Juugo fellow?"

_WHAT? He's worried about that?_ Hinata turned around to face him, and realized that Gaara hadn't relinquished his grasp on her, and they were as close as humanly thought possible. To make matters worse, their noses were touching each other. Gulping fearfully, Hinata stared into the clear turquoise eyes.

"H-he's only just a friend Gaara-kun.." She gasped as she felt the man's lips trailing a string of kisses across her collarbone. With one hand in her sweet-smelling hair, and another on her back, Hyuuga Hinata was truly trapped like a mouse.

"Does...he make your heart race, Hina-hime?" He then trapped Hinata's soft pouty lips with his own, making the girl subconsciously moan in his arms. The hand which was once on her back, slowly slinked underneath the layers of clothing, causing the Hyuuga some was a conservative at heart, and even though she was secretly enjoying it, she was mortified at the thought of Gaara gently stroking her soft back. Amazingly she was able to squeak out a "No," in between his soft kisses. Gaara sighed, feeling the vibrations of her words on his lips. "That's good to know."he murmured, sweeping Hinata into his arms.

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TA-DAA! READ AND REVIEW! Also, I will be updating this fic in two weeks or less! PROMISE!


	13. Secrets

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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Chapter 13

Secrets

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"..."

"..."

"Beep."

"..."

"...!"

"..."

"Respiratory system functioning properly?"

"Check."

"Concussion?"

"Not that we know of."

"OK, just make sure she's stabilized." A nurse checked once more the life-support, as Naruto wringed his hands in shame in the corner of the hospital room.

"Is she gonna be okay, Nurse-chan?" he asked hopefully. The nurse smiled at the Hokage. "Yes, she'll be just fine. Don't you worry."

As Naruto went back to his spot in the corner, she added. "You can stay in the waiting room, Hokage-san."

"Did, did my healing help at all, Nurse-chan?" he asked shyly, like a four-yr-old child once more. She grinned. "Yes, it helped her not to get a concussion. Thank you, Hokage-san. Nurse Yuki and I will take her to her room now." They took Sakura's stretcher out, and wheeled her out of the surgery room.

As soon as they left, Naruto crumpled to the floor, exhausted. He had thought that he was doing the worst possible thing he had done in his life.

"Sakura's gonna live, though." he said happily to the ground. "Sakura's gonna live, Sakura's gonna-..."

But there was still another matter to resolve. What if Ino found out that Naruto attacked her? Not to mention Sai. Naruto racked his brains to remember what type of relationship Sakura had with his pale-faced teammate. If he recalled, Sai had always dutifully dubbed her as 'hag' and the memories of them fighting were bittersweet.

The time when they had to go visit the spy on Tenchi bridge was a prime example. Sai had made fun of their old teammate (Sasuke-dobe), and Sakura had joyfully punched his lights out.

Sai had changed after that. So maybe they..._went out?_

_No! Definitely not. I would know. I'd be informed of this..._ he told himself. But how long was it since they were a team? There just wasn't time to hang out with them anymore, what with paperwork and meetings. He usually saw either Sai or Sakura pass by his office, but they never went in. At least he thought they didn't.

But then again, Naruto wasn't exactly the king of gossip.

* * *

Neji aimed his byakugan at Juugo. The Hyuuga had always known that there was an ulterior motive for him being there. It wasn't like he was purposely trying to eliminate competition, but the way Juugo looked at Hinata was... unhealthy. Juugo was heading in an easterly fashion, a human jumping bean amongst the Suna houses. _Well, I'll just have to follow him to be sure I'm right_, Neji decided.

Suddenly the houses started getting smaller, and Neji saw that Juugo was heading towards the east gate. Quickening his pace, he masked his footsteps with every footstep the orange-haired missing-nin made. After all, Neji wasn't an ANBU captain for nothing.

* * *

"Wait, Gaara!" Hinata said anxiously, as Gaara was attacking her neck with kisses. "What is so important that you have to ruin_ this,_ Hina-hime?" he said exasperately, he said, looking down at her.

"When I came up here, I saw Juugo-san going away from here." she said, ignoring the groans of annoyance emitting from Gaara.

The Kazekage got up from his bed and looked out the window. Sure enough, Juugo was zooming past the border. But then, what was that black streak zooming behind him?

Gaara grabbed his cloak and gourd and headed out of the bedroom. "Wait! What's going on?" Hinata demanded to know.

He paused. "Your cousin is taking his sister-complexion a little too far, that's what."

Deciding not to ask, Hinata followed him, grabbing her jacket as they headed out the door.

* * *

"YOU. STUPID. IDIOTIC. BASTARD. OF. A. HOKAGE!!!!" Ino thumped Naruto painfully on the back each time she said those words, while Choji looked at Naruto with pity.

"I didn't mean-" But Ino grabbed Naruto by the collar, and stared at him harshly. "Why did you do it in the FIRST PLACE!! WE ALREADY KNOW YOU'RE STRONG, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BEAT UP YOUR TEAMMATES TO PROVE IT!! YOU KNOW, IF I DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER, I'D SAY YOU'RE BECOMING LIKE SAS-" she stopped and let Naruto fall to the ground. Tears were sparkling across her face.

Choji immediately put a consoling arm around her. "Trust me, Ino. Naruto wouldn't do what Sasuke did."

"B-b-but, h-he ch-changed..." she sobbed uncontrollably. "H-he s-said t-to m-m-me he w-was going to... ch-change his life w-with Hina-ch-chan!" Naruto looked at the ground as she said that. He felt like the guilty man in this scene, not being able to tell them the truth, yet not being able to help in any way. Choji gave him a weak smile and took Ino into his arms.

"Umm," Naruto began, "I just came here to ask about..." Choji gave him a, I-don't-think-this-is-the-time-you're-Hokage-you-should-know-tact look that clearly was a dismissal for him.

_

* * *

_

Sakura stood in the dark inside of Naruto's mind, staring down the Kyuubi, who was growling in his cage.

_"Whaddya want, gaki?"_

_Before this, it was just a staring contest for Sakura. Until now..._

_"Stop hurting Naruto! I know what you do. You're trying to make him feel like he's guilty for everything he does."_

_Kyuubi stared at her as if she had sprouted whiskers. "What if it IS his fault?" Kyuubi laughed maniacally, the voice echoing off into distant chambers._

_"I know it isn't." But Sakura said this with confusion in her voice._

_Kyuubi immediately picked at her wound of uncertainty. "Do you remember a few years ago, when Naruto put Shikamaru in charge?"_

_Sakura nodded. She remembered how troubled Naruto looked, and she didn't do anything about it at the time._

_"He went to follow Sasuke." She groaned. That sounded just like Naruto._

_"Sasuke had kidnapped Hinata, with help from the other members of "Hebi". He killed her whole team in the process. Naruto chased after them." Sakura muttered an "oh" of comprehension._

_"However, Hinata wasn't being faithful to Naruto. She was taken from him willingly."_

_"How... how... what???"_

_Kyubi grinned maliciously, sprouting poisonous steam from his nostrils. "Naruto followed them to their hideout. When Hinata was sleeping, he engaged in combat with Sasuke. But all of Sasuke's attacks were defensive. It was like he didn't want Hinata to know that he was fighting her fiancee._

_"Do you know what happened then?" But Sakura clutched at her ears in emotional pain. She knew, of course, what happened. It was the beginning of Naruto's problematic attitude. He didn't let Kakashi, Sakura or any ANBU's to the scene, and he didn't even go looking for Sasuke after that. Of course it would make sense if there was no one to look for anymore. _

_"He... killed Sasuke then..." She stared into the murky waters, unable to think straight. _

_Kyuubi looked down at her triumphantly. "Yes, gaki." All of a sudden, Sakura's world went red as she propelled herself out of the water and hit Kyuubi square on the nose._

"GAH!" Sakura woke up and looked at her surroundings. She was in a hospital room.

The door opened and Naruto's head popped in. "Sakura-chan?"

Sakura screamed and hid under the covers. Naruto's eyes immediately softened. He had done all of this to her, _Sakura-chan,_ his only source of comfort now. He slowly approached the bed.

"What happened, Sakura-chan?" She retreated further into the hospital bed. Naruto put his hand on her shoulder. He could tell that something was upsetting her.

"Did-... did you really kill... Sasuke-kun?" she said softly into her pillow.

* * *

"The coast is clear." Juugo muttered as he jumped from the branch to the forest ground. A masked man appeared from the shadows.

The stranger shifted his feet from side to side. "So... you're absolutely certain she's here."

"Yes." The disgust in Juugo's voice was unlike him. The man chuckled from under his mask. "After all this time, Juugo, you've started to have... feelings for... _her_?"

Juugo was about to answer, but the stranger whipped out a gloved hand. "Don't tell me... I already know from how you _gush _about her."

"But remember this," he said, walking closer to the tall man.

"She's mine. She'll always be my... Hyuuga."

* * *

**Okay, I have been making a lot of chapters, and no one is reviewing. I know for a fact that you guys ARE reading them, and if I don't get reviews, I won't give you guys the last chapter. I just want to reach the 30 review mark. Please help me to do that and more! I mean, a thousand and more hits, and no one BOTHERS to review??!?!!**

**That just doesn't work, folks. REVIEW!!! If you don't give me at least 2 reviews, I won't post the last chapter. We clear? I don't want to sound mean, but that's just life!**


	14. The Long Forgotten Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

This is the final chapter in the first story: Memories of the Past. If anyone would like a prequel or sequel email me please! (I'd probably make a sequel to this, because it finishes on an unforgiving note! XD i'm sorry but not all endings are happy! Perhaps in the sequel....)

AND I WILL MAKE A SEQUEL, BECAUSE IT WOULD BE PITIFUL NOT TO! You shall understand once you read...

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* * *

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Chapter 14

The Long Forgotten Past

* * *

Neji scanned the desolate forest once more. Unless he was mistaken, there was two unidentified figures with huge chakra coils. He darted through the trees, with the intent of spying on them. Suddenly, a passing branch caught him in the arm, and staggered back. The two strangers looked back.

"...must be a deer."

"You don't get deer in these parts. They're usually on Nara land."

"So what." A hooded figure muttered. "By now, the Kazekage knows we're here, and he'll be coming up with back-up."

Neji took a deep breath, and settled in-between the base of two trees, making himself comfortable.

"You know..." The taller of the two said, "I didn't really expect you to be alive."

The hooded man chuckled. "I just used a teleportation jutsu. Naruto will never be able to catch up to me, even after all those years apart. He's still the same dobe."

"What will Konoha think of this?"

Neji activated his Byakugan once more, and saw that the man who was speaking to the stranger was Juugo. "The little shit..." he muttered, killer intent radiating off of him.

The stranger stayed silent for a few minutes. After a thoughtful pause, he replied. "They will welcome me back with open arms. I've killed Orochimaru and my brother, and I've sealed off Madara's power, and even Naruto would love for me to be back."

"He's married to the Hyuuga, just to let you know." Juugo said sympathetically.

The other man snapped at him, as though angry. "I know that! Why do you think I sent you three to spy on her?"

Juugo rubbed his neck sheepishly. "It's hard when you've got Nara, the sand siblings, and her cousin looking after-" The stranger stopped him with a single pale hand. At first, Neji thought he blew his cover. But then heard a rustling noise behind him. He quickly got up and into the Hyuuga stance.

"Well, well," Neji looked back with a horrified look on his face. Juugo and the hooded man were right behind him. "If it isn't Neji, Gaara and Hinata, all huddled up here."

Neji whirled around. It was no surprise Gaara was here. He was the Kazekage and he, of course, was authorized to investigate the area around Sunagakure. _But,why did he have to bring my cousin?_ Neji thought, with a pang of fear coursing through him. Hinata looked at the scene with horrified eyes.

"Th-th-that's... no....wha-" Hinata stammered, and fell backwards onto the forest floor.

* * *

"Did-... did you really kill... Sasuke-kun?" she said softly into her pillow. Suddenly the covers flew off of her and she saw a fuming Naruto scowling at her.

"Who told you, Sakura-chan??!" He snarled.

"Kyuubi." she answered immediately. Naruto looked at her in shock. He knew she wasn't lying, and it was quite disconcerting to see her looking at him questioningly.

He sighed, tugging at his gold locks, looking uncannily like the Yondaime on the Hokage Monument. Sakura sat up on the bed, wary that he would suddenly start screaming at her.

Finally, he spoke. "I did. At... least I-I... thought I did." he said, staring off into the distance. He recalled the events of that dreadful night to Sakura, who looked more and more horrified, unconsciously gripping Naruto's arm with each sentence. He told her about the new jutsu Sasuke had, undoubtedly, mastered and how he used it on Naruto, and it backfired.

_Sasuke walked into the room where Hinata was sleeping in. Smiling slightly, he approached the bed. _

_From his hiding spot, Naruto watched as Sasuke gently caressed Hinata's cheek. A strong pang of jealousy clouded his heart, and finally he couldn't take it anymore. Stripping away his jutsu cover, he walked into the room. Sasuke immediately sensed Naruto's chakra presence._

_He didn't turn around. "I knew you'd come, dobe." he muttered, still sitting on Hinata's bed._

_"Well, that's right." Naruto snarled. "That's MY fiancee you're touching right now!"_

_"Hn." Still Sasuke did not turn to face him. "Then why did she come to me for help, dobe? How can any type of love flourish in an arranged marriage?" _

_Naruto had never heard Sasuke speak like that in his life, and was shocked. "So you've finally softened your heart, eh, Sasuke-teme. Too bad the girl's taken."_

_"You're wrong, Naruto." This time Sasuke turned to face him, smirking at the perplexed expression the man had on his face. "I got to her first. I loved her first, ever since we were kids. She only had a weak little crush on you, but her love for me is way stronger than any cru-"_

_Clash of kunai over kunai 'ping'd' in the silence. Hinata stirred feebly, and Sasuke stared. Taking advantage of the Uchiha's momentary lapse of concentration, Naruto performed hand signs._

_"Kage Shuriken no Jutsu: Shadow Shuriken Technique!" _

_Sasuke glared, sharingan activated. In a few seconds, his body was overtaken by the sound of a thousand chirping birds, effectively disentegrating the shuriken._

_"Naruto," he said softly, "do you really want to hurt me?"_

_Naruto howled in anger. Again Hinata stirred, but did not awake. Lunging at Sasuke in mid-air, he retrieved a kunai from his backpocket. The sound of steel against flesh echoed in the damp rock. A small popping noise resonated and Naruto knew that Sasuke had performed Kage Bunshin._

_'Where is he?' His eyes traveled over to the sleeping form of Hinata. 'Got to get Sasuke-teme out of here!'_

_"Katon Goukyakyuu no Jutsu : Grand Fireball Technique!" _

_Naruto whirled around as Sasuke came out of nowhere behind him, performing the familiar hand signs. The earth felt boiling hot under the blonde's feet. He knew he had only seconds to make a substitution._

_The fireball hit the rocky floor, but the flames did not spread. Sasuke stared in wonder, as the floor started to get damp, and a single wooden log lay on top of a puddle of water._

_"What the-"_

_"Uzumaki Naruto Combo!" Naruto yelled as four clones appeared out of nowhere. _

_Sasuke fell to the ground, panting. He looked up at the solemn Rokudaime. "The time when you had everything I wanted is long past, Sasuke Uchiha. Hinata's my fiancee and soon to be wife, and you will not destroy the world I have worked so hard, for so long, to create."_

_The young Uchiha saw the hauntingly familiar handsigns Naruto was using, and he acted quickly. "Kokuangyo no Jutsu : Bringer of Darkness!"_

_The room disappeared, as Sasuke activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. It was time for _that_ technique._

"...and then after that, I saw him disappear, the room was dark, but before he did anything, he told me to take good care of Hin-Hinata, a-...and he used his m-mangekyo..." Naruto couldn't continue, and he buried his face in his hands. "The l-light came back... Hinata woke up...I-I-I've b-b...been terrible to...to Hinata, and I'm... not sure i-if I actually..._killed_ him..."

Sakura didn't know what to say to that.

* * *

"Hinata-chan, get up!" Someone was smacking her face.

She got up drowsily, and once more took in the scene. _If this was a battle I'd be dead by now,_ she thought bitterly. Neji looked at her sternly.

"Nice to see you back on your feet, Hinata-chan." She recognized that voice! _How come the others don't remember it?_ She looked around wildly at the people around her. They were still looking at the cloaked stranger with battle eyes.

She stared hard at the pale-armed man. "Show yourself."

The man lowered his dark hood, and Hinata felt the world begin to spin. It was him! After all those years! He was still himself, with his pointy-hair, his pale skin, and even the clothes on his back!

She saw his perfect mouth curve slightly, and his arms were drifting upwards, as if caught in an current of air. Her legs began to move, and her hands felt incredibly light. A slight breeze made its way to her nose, and she took in the heady scent that she had almost forgotten all those years.

As she hugged him, a single teardrop made its way to his vest, and she said the first thing that came to her mind:

"Sasuke."

* * *

Well, FLAME ME NOW! STRIKE ME ON THE SPOT! GO TO MY HOUSE AND EGG IT! This is done, no epilogue, but there will be a prologue and I'm done three chapters of it now, yeah! I just need to change some parts and re-word it! But I'm DONE! FINITO! OMG!

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No pressure.


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